Just Your Average Teenage Samurai
by Li'l Yahiko
Summary: Semi-Au. Himura Kenshin is the new student that just transferred to Meiji High School, but there's something strange about him. They all died years ago, but they weren't finished yet. kk, sm, yt, am in later chapters
1. TheHandsomeSwordsmanofLegendRisesAgain!

_**Just Your Average Teenage Samurai**_

(DISCLAIMED: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or anything like it… Note that this has a full connection to the series, it is not really AU, merely somewhat of a continuation of the original program.)

_Time went by, and they all grew old. Some died by disease, some were murdered, some died of old age, living a fulfilled life of love and happiness. They all soon faded away like the seasons, legends and heroes among their comrades, and among themselves._

_…but they weren't finished yet…_

Many, many, many years later…

Chapter 1: The Handsome Swordsman of Legend Rises Again!

"Meiji High School… I believe that's named off the Meiji Era right?"

"That's right, Himura-san," A woman said, walking down the hall of a large school with red lockers. "You've done your homework."

"Well, I've done my share of it, de gozaru yo."

"I hope you like it here," The woman said. "This is your first period class. If you get lost, refer to the map, or ask someone, okay?"

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll use it well, de gozaru yo."

"Have a good day! Goodbye!" The woman waved and walked away.

The boy took a deep breath, tugged on the collar of his blue uniform, and opened the door.

-

He was a short child, especially for eighteen years old. He had red hair, long, but tucked in the back of his uniform. His large, violet eyes were framed by large, round glasses, and he carried a black bag over his shoulder.

"My name is Himura Kenshin, de gozaru yo," He said to the teacher after she asked.

"Go sit over there," The woman pointed to an empty desk.

"Thank you, ma'am," He bowed politely and sat down. He could hear people whispering, and he could see them staring at him. He adjusted his glasses and pulled out his book.

_This seems like a good place. Everyone keeps their thoughts about others to themselves, and it's a very nice school, de gozaru yo, _He thought to himself as he examined his new classmates.

A young man in the front row, two seats down from him, eyed Kenshin with his cerulean eyes, peaking up from his paper as he wrote something down. His cropped, brown-black hair fell in his face. _Himura… Kenshin… _He smiled.

-

"Let's see," Kenshin said, walking along down the hall. "Where do I go to next?" He looked at his schedule and then at his map. He had gone to half of his classes, and now he was trying to figure out where everyone ate lunch. He had quickly begun to change his mind about the people, for he hadn't spoken to anyone at all, though he did notice a strange, azure-eyed boy staring at him. "Let's see… Well, I guess I go outside, de gozaru yo." He smiled sweetly and walked out.

-

There were tables outside on the concrete and under the large canopy that people sat under when it rained, or when teachers were hungry. He looked around and found all the tables to be filled up, and places on the wall with people he wasn't sure he should associate with.

He walked past a table of strong, muscle-bound creatures screaming about arm-wrestling which seemed to be taking place. He wasn't sure. He couldn't see over the crowd. A few more tables down sat a group of girls in red cheerleading outfits, giggling and pointing at the boys they liked.

Kenshin turned and made eye contact with one of them, a woman with her silky, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He quickly turned away and walked faster. He knew that she was _way _out of his league… Besides, he didn't want a girlfriend at the moment, even if he **_could _**get one.

Leaning against a wall by himself, stood a man, the tallest teenager he had seen in awhile, dressed in baggy, black pants covered in chains, and wearing a black, baggy t-shirt with the word **Oniwaban-shu **written across it in white. There were three studs above his left eyebrow, and his right ear was pierced four times, his left twice. There was a nose ring in his right nostril, and Kenshin betted that there were more piercing. His icy, blue eyes glared at him as he passed, and he ran a hand through his thin, black hair.

Kenshin made on his way quickly.

There was a brick wall built up for dodge ball, and a group of many people stood around it, strange beings. One was very thin and had blonde hair that stood up way above his head. There was another person, a woman, that had a very peculiar feel about her, and there was also a bulky man with dark brown circles around his eyes and a bandana tied around his head. There was also a bat-like man dressed in a trench coat. _Batman, much…_ He thought. That's when he spotted him.

_That's the blue eyed child from my homeroom! _He exclaimed silently as he saw him sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall and eating a banana. He never seemed to stop smiling. _He must really be enjoying that banana. _He walked away.

Finally, he found a spot under a large oak tree and unpacked his rice cakes and miso soup. He began eating quickly as he always did.

"HEY! You took my spot!"

"Oro?" He looked up.

"I said you took my spot!" The boy said, his red-brown eyes glaring down at him. He had spiky black hair, and his uniform seemed a bit baggy on him.

"I'm sorry… There's enough room for both of us if you want to sit down, de gozaru yo."

"-but---"

"My name is Kenshin. I'm new here, so I didn't know that this place was taken as well. I'll find another place tomorrow, but would you mind if I sat here today?"

"Fine. Whatever," The boy sat down and Kenshin realized how short he was. His voice hadn't even changed yet. "My name's Myojin. Myojin Yahiko."

"Hello," Kenshin smiled at him.

"Go ahead and say it. Tell me how short I am."

"Oro?"

"Well, you're a senior, right? I'm a freshmen. You make fun of me, right?"

"No, I don't make fun of people, de gozaru yo. I get made fun of."

"R-really?" Yahiko looked up at him.

"Hai," Kenshin nodded. "-but I don't let it bother me all that much. Do you want a rice cake? What happened to your lunch?"

"Thanks," Yahiko took it. "I lied and said I had another one… I gave it to someone…"

"Who?"

"…Her…" He pointed to a young girl of his age with shoulder-length brown hair. He blushed.

"You like her?"

"N-no! It's just that she didn't have a meal!" He shoved the rice cake in his mouth and began chewing on it rapidly.

"All right," Kenshin said.

"So," Yahiko said, swallowing. "You know the ropes yet?"

"Oro?"

"Who to hang out with, who not to hang out with, and who you'll never get to hang out with?"

"No."

"Well, I'll tell you. I might be a freshmen, but I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Okay."

"Let's see…" He pointed over to the arm-wrestling bunch. "Those are the jocks. They're real bastards if you're small like me. They care about nothing but sports and girls… but if you get in with them, you get them," He pointed to the table of cheerleaders. "Most of them are pretty and nice like Mackimachi Misao except for ugly tanuki Kamiya Kaoru," Yahiko stuck his tongue out and made a disgusted sound. "She's stupid. Anyways…" He pointed to the pierced man in black. "That's Shinomori Aoshi. He's a goth. He's also obsessed with the Oniwaban-shu. You know, that elite service in the revolution?"

"Yes."

"Well, yeah, that. Okay… um…" he pointed to the dodge ball wall. "Stay away from them at all costs. They're truly evil, powerful guys, and they rule this school. No one can stop them, not even the teachers, and they'll hurt anyone who gets in their way. Rumor has it that they've actually murdered someone, but the police were too afraid to arrest them. I'd also avoid eye contact with them. They hate it when people look at them."

_Are they really that bad? _Kenshin wondered.

"Those people love to see people suffer," A new voice entered the conversation.

"Ha! Megumi-san!" Yahiko said happily.

The woman was tall with long, raven hair and amethyst eyes. She wore the red skirt and bandana, and she had a yellow tie under the bandana.

"Who's your new friend, Yahiko?" She asked.

"Himura Kenshin," Kenshin said politely and gave her his best smile. "It's nice to make you're acquaintance, de gozaru yo."

Megumi sat down next to them. "I'm Takani Megumi. I'm a senior here too."

"So, what group are you with?" Kenshin asked.

"I can be with any group I want… I just prefer to be with people who don't cat-call at me… like them…" She eyed the jocks with a revolted glare.

"Oro? What'd they do to you?" Kenshin asked.

"Not they… he."

"Oro?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's get to class."

"Oh, right!" Kenshin exclaimed. "Sayonara!" He ran off across the yard in a rush.

"Ja ne," Yahiko waved.

"You're new friend is strange."

"Yeah… he is."


	2. Bad! Sagara Sanosuke's Introduction!

Chapter 2: Bad! Sagara Sanosuke's Introduction!

"Let me see here… Ah! I have Japanese History next, de gozaru yo!" Kenshin said happily as he headed down the correct hallway. He had gotten into a much better mood since meeting Yahiko and Megumi, and he wasn't worried about having friends anymore.

…but there was one thing still tagging on his mind…

"Those strange people… the ones that everyone is afraid of… why do I keep feeling like they're watching me?"

-

"This must be it!" Kenshin said happily as he stepped into the classroom. He was ignored by just about everyone in there except a few glances and stares. Everybody was too busy making conversation to notice him. He pushed his glass up on his nose and sat down in the third desk from the door in the front row.

After pulling out his Japanese History textbook, he stopped to examine the people walking in the door.

The boy had ripped the sleeves off of his uniform jacket and left it open, revealing his white shirt. His pants were baggy on him, and he kept his hands in his pockets. His arms were strong, and both of his fists were wrapped in bandages. A white scarf was tied around his head. His brown eyes centered on Kenshin who couldn't stop staring at the strange man. He reached up and ran his fingers through his spiky brown hair and sat down in the second seat from the door on the first row.

"Hey!" He said, grinning.

"Hello…" Kenshin said hesitantly.

"You joining any sports teams?"

"Oh, no, I'm not good at sports, de gozaru yo."

"I'm on a lot of sports teams," The boy said staring at the board. "That's why I like the class. The coach teaches it."

"Sano."

"Yo, Katsu!" The boy, apparently Sano, said as a young man with long black hair came in, his jacket undone, revealing his green t-shirt, but the sleeves still in tact. His had a green scarf around his head, and there was a sketchbook under his right arm.

"Um… who are you both?" Kenshin asked as politely as he could.

"The name is Sagara Sanosuke," Sano said waving with his index and middle finger. "That guy's Tsukioka Katsuhiro."

"Nice to meet you," Kenshin said. "I am Himura Kenshin."

"Yeah, we heard. Apparently, you're the talk of the school."

"Really? Why would that be?" Kenshin wondered.

"They say that the Juppon Katana have their eye on you," Katsu said seriously.

"Oro? Who are the Juppon Katana?"

"Ahhh… baka!" Sano yelled, grabbing his shoulders. "Don't you know? They're the meanest guys in this school! They rule this place!"

"Yeah!" Katsu said.

"Th-them?! They've even made a title for themselves?" Kenshin asked horrified.

"Yeah!!!" Sano shook him. "You idiot!"

"Orroooooooo….." Kenshin said, swirly-eyed.

"Oh… sorry about that," Sano set him gently back in his seat. "I guess I don't know my own strength! Ha ha!"

"Then why do you brag about it day by day?" Katsu asked.

"Shut up!" Sano growled at Katsu.

"Why a-are they… after me?" Kenshin asked.

"Well… It's only a rumor, but they say that they've got the little guy spying on you. What was his name… duuuhhh…." Sano scratched his head in thought.

"Wasn't it Seta Soujirou?" Katsu asked.

"YEAH! That's it!" Sano snapped.

"Who is Seta Soujirou?" Kenshin asked.

"He's a junior here. He got cropped hair, blue eyes, blah blah blah. He smiles and takes anything you throw at him… He's unafraid and some say he's void of emotions and his face is stuck in a smile. He's like the Juppon Katana's servant boy. He gets them and anyone else exactly what they want. Of course, no one asks him because they believe that there will be a price to pay. No one knows anything about that kid."

"Then, why would they be after me? Is there a reason?"

"Probably."

"What do you mean _probably_? Don't you know?"

"Nope."

"Oro…" Kenshin slammed his head on his desk. "What do I do?" The back of his shirt was suddenly grabbed. "Oro?" He was lifted out of his desk and into the air. "ORO?!" He looked down and saw the blonde-haired man from the dodge ball wall staring up at him.

"This… is him? Who'd a thought he'd be so scrawny?" The man said and smirked.

"Put him down, Chou, you ridiculous broom head!" Sano stood up, clenching his fists.

"I can't do that for you, chicken head, for two reasons. One, we've been searching for him for a long, long time, and two, you can't stop me."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I-" Sano began.

"Why have you been looking for me?!" Kenshin cried.

"You're Himura Kenshin, right?" Chou said.

"Hai."

"That's why."

"Oro?"

"Now, just hold still, and I'll make this quick."

"No, don't kill me!" Kenshin cried.

"Sorry, but-"

A flash ran through Kenshin's mind, and his eyes blanked out and closed. His head fell forward, his chin resting on his chest, and he remained unconscious for a few moments.

"I scared him into fainting!" Chou started laughing. "Ahahahaha-aha---ha---what?" A drop of blood hit his face.

Kenshin's cheek bled massively. His eyes opened, glaring gold through the rims of his glasses.

"You'll put me down now," Kenshin said, his voice deeper and angrier than before.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Chou yelled. "You can't-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Kenshin's foot collided with Chou's face. Chou fell backwards and Kenshin hit the ground.

"Ohh…" Kenshin moaned slightly, his closed eyes twitching slightly. The blood stopped flowing, but the liquid remained on his face.

"What's going on here?" A deep voice said.

"O--oro?" Kenshin opened his eyes halfway and stared at two boots and pants-legs standing in front of him. He felt too weak to get up to see who it was and was about to fall faint again.

"Chou, get in your damn seat. I know the principal can't do anything to you," The deep voice said. "-but rest assured, I will."

"Hmph," Chou said.

Kenshin felt a hand around his wrist.

"Yo', Kenshin, are you all right?" Sano asked. Kenshin's eyes looked up at him. "That was awesome!"

"Wh--what was?" He asked.

He felt himself being lifted again, but this time it was gently.

"Oro?"

"So, you drew blood on this kid, huh, Chou? Well, guess what. Your punishment just got worse."

"Oh, man," Chou whined.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" The man asked. His voice still seemed menacing. A cloth was placed against his cheek.

"Wh-what happened?" He asked as the man placed his glasses back on his face.

"I don't know," The man said. Kenshin looked up at him. He was tall and much more muscular than any teacher he had ever seen. He also had more hair than any male teacher he had ever seen. It was long and black and hung down his back in a ponytail. His eyes were piercing and thin, and his mouth was curved in what seemed to be a permanent frown. He wore a white t-shirt with a plaid shirt hanging lazily over it and blue jeans.

"Who are you?" Kenshin asked.

"I'm the teacher, Hiko Seijirou," He said. "Sit down. You're fine."

Kenshin felt his strength returning as he sat back down in his desk, thoroughly mortified. _What happened? I remember being captured, and then it all blacked out until I was on the floor. Did he hit me?_

"So, are you Himura Kenshin?" Hiko asked, staring down at him with his intense eyes.

"H-Hai…." Kenshin said, even more afraid of this man.

"Hmm… You look familiar…" Hiko leaned in close to his face and stared him in they eyes. "Have we met before?"

"N-no, sir… I don't believe we have, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said.

"Whatever. OKAY!" Hiko rose up and clapped his hands twice to get everyone's attention. "So, it's time for us to learn about what we came here to learn about. Today, we're talking about the revolution and the Tokugawa regime. Does anyone know anything about it?"

Sano threw his hand in the air.

"Go for it, Sagara," Hiko said flatly.

"Lots of people were killed!" He said.

The girls giggled. "Yes… people died… and does anyone know… why?"

Silence.

"Himura."

"O-Oro?" Kenshin looked up at him.

"You got anything?"

"From 1601 to 1868, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa family. They acted as advisors to the Emperor in an elite organization, the Bakufu. Then, in 1854, a man named Matthew Perry threatened military action against Japan if they did not open their ports for foreign trade. The Bakufu agreed to any of the terms that the foreigners set, splitting the country between the ones who supported the Bakufu and the ones who didn't, wanting to expel the foreigners from their land. The Shinsengumi, for example, worked for the Bakufu and slaughtered any who tried to rebel against the government's decisions. On the other hand the ones called 'loyalists' fought to free Japan from the Bakufu and foreigners in the name of their Emperor."

"Not bad," Hiko said. Everyone was staring at Kenshin.

"We already studied this at my old school," Kenshin explained.

"Well, which side was right, Himura? Humor me."

"There wasn't a right or wrong side to be on, sir. People were only trying to live their lives and fight for what they believed in."

"That's right," Hiko nodded, a smug look on his face. "-but who won?"

"The loyalists, sir. They took control of the government and the Meiji Restoration began soon after."

"So, do you have an example of one of these loyalists, Himura?"

"Hmmm…." Kenshin looked down at his desk for a moment.

_Oh, brother, what a waste 'a time… _Chou thought to himself.

"Yes, sir," Kenshin said, his eyes shadowed by his bangs.

"-and---"

"Battousai."

_What?_ Chou almost fell out of his desk.

"How do you--- know about Battousai?" Hiko asked. "He's hardly ever mentioned. Did you-"

"I don't know how I know, sir… I just… do…. de gozaru yo."

Everyone had gone silent.

"I'm gonna put notes on the board, and if I see anyone not copying them, I'll make you copy the Japanese History book… It's gotta be good for something, I guess," Hiko shrugged as he wrote the notes on the board.

Kenshin stared into space, his eyes glazed over. _Battousai… _ He thought to himself.


	3. The Speed of a Warrior!

Chapter 3: The Speed of a Warrior!

"Hey, Sano?" Kenshin asked as he walked out of the classroom with him.

"Yeah?"

"What happened when Chou grabbed me?"

"Uh… You were there…" Sano said.

"Yeah, but---" Kenshin looked away. Sano noticed the worried look on his face.

"You kicked him in the face!" Sano said excitedly. "It was awesome!"

"I what? No--- I--" Kenshin looked even more worried than before.

"You okay?" Sano asked.

"Oh! Um- yeah, fine," Kenshin smiled politely. "So, we have gym together too, right?"

"Yup, it's this way. Follow me, Kenshin," Sano said. "I'll show you the works, but I warn you, I'm the best athlete in this school."

"I'm not good at sports, so don't worry about me. I'll probably just get in your way…" Kenshin said. "Then, after that… I have Math."

Sano leaned over the schedule. "That's my Math class!"

"So, you're in my Math class too, hm?" Kenshin asked. "That's cool!"

"Yeah! The only problem with Math is the teacher. You'll see later. Let's go to Gym!"

"O-okay…"

-

Sano sat on the bleachers in his red gym shorts and white tank top with MEIJI written across the chest of it. He talked with Katsu who was in the same outfit and tying his shoes.

Kenshin walked out, humiliated to be wearing such an outfit. He hated showing his thin legs and arms, and everyone was so much taller and more muscular than him. Of course, the thing that worried him the most was his waist length hair. He was afraid they'd call him girly, which he seemed to be, though he was straight as a board.

"Hey! Kenshin! Over here!" Sano waved to him.

Kenshin pushed his glasses up on his nose and slowly walked over. "Hey…" He said.

"Dude, nice hair," Katsu said, lifting up Kenshin's ponytail.

"Uh… thank you…" Kenshin said, blushing in embarrassment.

"Yeah, why were you hiding that in your jacket?" Sano asked.

"I thought I'd be made fun of…" Kenshin said, rubbing his arm.

"Nonsense," Katsu said. "I have long hair too."

"R-right…" Kenshin smiled, not feeling quite so guilty.

"A-hem!"

All the boys turned around as Hiko walked in, dressed in an outfit identical to theirs. "All of you, line up," He said.

They all did as told.

"All right… As you must all know, we have a new student. Himura. Also, we're running track today. Tomorrow, we'll be doing kendo club---Oh, it's the cheerleaders," He said as a group of females filed in.

"Hiko-san, do you mind if we practice in here?"

Kenshin turned around and looked at the girl from over his shoulder. It was the girl he had seen earlier that day. _She's pretty… _Kenshin thought to himself. She looked over at him and smiled. "duhh…." He blushed and looked away.

"Hey… the little missy's smilin' at you," Sano nudged Kenshin.

"Kamiya… Go ahead and practice, but stay away from the edge of the track. We're running laps today."

"Okay!" She said.

"Hey, Kaoru!" Sano waved.

"Hi!" She said happily.

_Kamiya Kaoru… Where have I heard that before? _Kenshin wondered.

"Ooookay," Hiko said. "I'm going to pair you in twos and have you race three laps around the gym. Winner gets to go sit and watch the cheerleaders practice. Let's see… Sagara and… Himura."

"Oro?!"

"You heard me," Hiko said, smiling at him. "You two get in your places."

"-but-"

"Don't worry… I won't leave you too far in the dust," Sano said, winking confidently.

"Oro…" Kenshin felt the hope drain from him.

Sano smacked him on the back in a friendly way. "Don't be scared! Ha ha!"

"…" Kenshin said nothing.

"On your mark…" Hiko said.

The two got into position.

"Get set…"

Kenshin gulped.

"GO!"

They shoved off. Sano was in the lead immediately.

"oh… Slow down!" Kenshin cried.

"Haha! You're funny, Kenshin!" Sano said over his shoulder.

"So…" A man emerged from behind the stands, cigarette in his fingers. "You see something in the red-head?"

"There's something about him, Hajime," Hiko said. "You can see a warrior's spirit hidden deep within him."

"Sounds like mushy child's talk."

"Hey, I know swordsmanship."

"So do I…"

Kenshin ran around the corner twenty seconds after Sano. He looked exhausted and seemed to have lost all confidence.

Seta Soujirou peeked in from behind the other pair of stands where he sat during study hall. "Wow… He's not bad," He said, smiling. "I wonder if he'll come through during this…"

"What's the matter, Kenshin? Are you tired already?" Sano yelled, trying to give him confidence.

Kenshin hung his head and looked at his feet. His legs felt like they were going to fall off. The gym was huge! His thin little body couldn't go that far.

"Come on, Kenshin!" Sano yelled. "Can I at least have it fair?"

Kenshin stopped. Sano stopped too.

"Are you okay?" Sano asked.

A pulse ran through Kenshin's body. His breath caught in his throat.

"Kenshin?"

Kenshin started running.

"H--hey!" Sano yelled, running up next to him. "That was dirty!"

Kenshin continued staring straight ahead. _I think my glasses are fogging up… _He thought to himself. _I can't see…_He pulled them off to clean them, and looked up. _Oro?! I… can see! _

Sano and Kenshin tied the next lap.

"Hey! We tied!" Sano said. "Last lap! Winner takes all!"

Kaoru stopped her cheer squad and turned around. "Hm?"

Kenshin sped ahead of Sano.

"Woah!" Sano stopped in his tracks. Kenshin smiled as he turned away from Sano, a smile on his face, his eyes thin and confident. He passed the finish before Sano but stopped right then. His face started bleeding, and he was panting.

"How did I… do that?" Kenshin wondered out loud.

"Woah…" Sano came walking up behind him. "You… you beat me…"

Kenshin looked over at him and found his face fuzzy. He slipped his glasses back on.

"Hey, Kenshin, your face is bleeding," Katsu said, handing him a towel.

"Did you see that?" Hiko asked the other man.

He puffed on his cigarette. "It appears you were correct. Maybe he was something special in a past life, huh… If you believe in that sort of thing."

"Maybe…" Hiko said, watching Kenshin as he laughed, wiping his face off, while the other boys cheered him. "Where… have I seen that kid before?"

"Who knows," The other man walked off.

"Well-played, Himura-san, well-played," A high, child-like voice said, silencing the gym class.

Seta Soujirou stood a ways away from them, clapping and walking towards them. "You're really fast. I'd like to have a match with you sometime."

"Oro?"

"Maybe you should come hang out with our group in awhile, Himura-san. We'd love to have you," Soujirou said.

"Get lost, Seta," Hiko said. "You're not even in this class, much less a senior like the rest of these kids."

"I know," Soujirou beamed at Hiko. "I was just admiring your previous apprentice's speed, Hiko-san."

"Apprentice?" Kenshin said, looking at Hiko as if he would know.

"I'll go then. Sayonara," Soujirou turned away, and then turned back. "-but if there's anything you ever wanna know, Himura-san, we have ALL the answers."

Everyone stared after him.

"Okay… let's continue. Himura, you go and watch the cheerleaders."

"Um-okay…" Kenshin said, blushing.


	4. The One Called Battousai

Chapter 4: The One Called Battousai

"All right, boys! Hit the showers!" Hiko yelled.

They all headed there, half the boys with nosebleeds from watching the cheerleaders, the other half so dehydrated that they were stumbling all over the place like a drunk, incompetent, moron.

"Great run today," Sano said to Kenshin.

"Th-thank you… but…"

"It's too bad we don't have a track team, huh… You'd be our star runner!" Sano laughed.

"Yeah, but tomorrow's kendo club," Katsu said. "-and you know who always comes to kendo club…"

"Who?" Kenshin asked.

"Chou and Kamatari," Sano and Katsu said at the same time.

"I don't know who Kamatari is, but I don't like the fact that Chou is gonna be here…" Kenshin said. "oro… What am I getting myself into?"

"Don't worry, Kenshin. I'll protect ya'," Sano said.

"-oh… but who's protecting you?"

"Ouch… well, you've gotta point."

They both sighed.

-

"This is our shower!" Sano said proudly.

"Oro?"

Kenshin looked around.

"It's just four walls with tile and shower heads, de gozaru yo…"

"Yep," Sano nodded. "So, what?"

"Oro…"

Sano, showing no modesty whatsoever, stripped from his clothes and walked off. "Come, my crummy buddies! We need to wash the blood and sweat from our spectacular selves!"

"Oi…" Katsu slapped his face and rolled his eyes. "He's always so full of himself…" He smiled. "Oh, well."

"Oro… oro…" Kenshin picked a spot farthest from the other boys, but unfortunately closest to the door and slowly pulled off his garments. _How embarrassing… _

"Oro? Which one is the hot?" He wondered, looking at the blank knobs.

"Let me help you," A voice said. Kenshin turned around.

"ORO!" His eyes bulged out, his hair standing straight up on end. "You're a girl!"

She winked at him, pushing her black-gray hair from her face. She was wearing the gym uniform still.

"How cute…" She said, tipping his face up with her index finger. "Battousai…"

"Oro?" _Battousai?! _He was utterly mortified.

"Kamatari!!! Get outta here!" Katsu yelled.

"-but I'm a boy, just like the rest of you!" Kamatari giggled.

"Oro?!"

"You don't look like a boy," Sano said.

"So? You know I am…"

"Don't remind me," Sano looked up into the shower.

_How revolting… _Kenshin said to himself, turning away, thoroughly horrified. He couldn't shower comfortably before, but now he was about ready to shower with his clothes on, if at all. None the less, he showered, very quickly, and finished before everyone else.

-

Kenshin left the shower with his backpack over his shoulder, his hair still down and wet from the shower. His glasses were up on the top of his head, and he sat down on the bleachers, waiting for the bell to ring.

_Battousai… _He thought to himself. _Why did that girl--- boy… call me Battousai? Who is… Oh, I remember now. Battousai was a legendary hitokiri during the revolution… but why of all things call me that? It doesn't make any sense, de gozaru yo…_

A scene of a man slicing another in half amidst the glow of the fiery Kyoto entered his mind. _Battousai…_ His golden eyes glowed, and his blade shined white.

"Excuse me."

"Oro?" he looked up.

"Hey, I was just complimenting you on how fast you ran. I've never seen someone so fast."

"K-Kamiya Kaoru?"

"Uh-huh. So, you're Himura Kenshin, right?"

"Hai."

"Have we met before?"

"I don't think so, de gozaru yo. I would've remembered a face like yours…" Kenshin blushed in awkwardness.

"Well, I'll see you later," She said. "Bye!" She ran back to the girls.

"A cheerleader spoke to me…" Kenshin said.

"Oh!" She ran back to him. "I almost forgot."

She handed him a hairbrush.

"I figure you want to brush all that hair, right? Just give it back in Math class, okay?"

"uh-"

"Okay, bye!" She ran off.

Kenshin felt faint. He'd gotten a hairbrush… from a CHEERLEADER… oh, and it wasn't just any cheerleader. It was the CAPTAIN. THE **CAPTAIN.**

"Oro…orororororo…" Kenshin fell over. "This is unbelievable, de gozaru yo…"

-

"Come on," Sano laughed as he walked into the Math class.

"Wow… How…" He looked around. "Dreary." The classroom had no colorful pictures with sayings on them, no number lines, no nothing. The teacher's desk was straight and prompt, and all the desks were lined up very well. It was a very boring class room.

"That's how it always looks," Sano said.

"I like it this way."

"Oro?" Kenshin turned around.

Standing, looming over him, stood Shinomori Aoshi, his aloof blue eyes glaring down at him.

"Hey, Aoshi," Sano said.

"…" Aoshi walked on ahead.

"Oro?"

"He's not much of a talker…" Sano said.

"AOSHI-SAMA!"

"Oro?!"

In the back row, a girl in her cheerleading uniform came running up, her braid swishing behind her. Her eyes sparkled at the site of the creepy man, and she quickly jumped and threw her arms around him. "Aoshi-sama…." She said, nuzzling his chest.

"…"

"Um… Is she his girlfriend?" Kenshin asked.

Sano started laughing. "Whatever. She's just obsessed with the guy, but he isn't her boyfriend. They say that they've known each other since childhood and that Aoshi looks at her as a 'sister' per-say…" Sano said.

"Oh… Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"No. I'm an only child."

"Me too. My parents don't need another child. We're fine just the way we are, de gozaru yo," Kenshin beamed over his shoulder at Sano. "My parents are the best parents on earth. I don't know what I'd do without them."

"I know what I'd do without my parents…"

"Oro?"

"Starve. I can't cook…"

They both began laughing.

"Enough with the ha-ha's, Sagara. Go sit the hell down. You too, Himura."

"Oro?"

(A/N: It's the holidays! I'm free! I'm FREE! HUZZAH! Okay, now that that's over, I just thought I'd thank everyone for their reviews. sniff I feel so loved! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story because I really enjoyed writing it. I've worked very hard, and I hope it continues to pay off as I go along. I might need to take a brake though and write on some other fiction in a short while though… but not right now. MUAHAHAHAHA! cough Okay. Sayonara, minna-san!!!)


	5. A Swordsmanship Style

Chapter 5: A Swordsmanship Style

Kenshin stood in front of the man before him. His black hair was greased back, but strands of it fell in his face, and his golden eyes gleamed menacingly. His face was long, like a wolf's, and there was a cigarette in his mouth. He wore a blue suit with a black shirt underneath, and the jacket hung loosely to his thighs. Everything about him was proper, as if he had been in some sort of army where it was required to be so straight and neat.

_Why does everyone look so mean? _Kenshin pondered.

"Hey," Sano said flatly, a glower upon his face.

"Sit down… Sagara," The man said warningly.

Sano pouted and walked away.

"E-excuse me, sir," Kenshin said.

"Hm?" The man's golden eyes switched over to Kenshin's face. "What?" He stated.

"Who are you?"

"Hajime Saitou… Your Math teacher."

"Oro."

"Go sit down next to the Kamiya girl."

"Oro… oro…." Kenshin felt uneasiness slipping over him as he passed Saitou.

_Why do I feel like I've seen him before? Something about him just seems so familiar… but I can't… _He sat down.

"Hey… psst…."

"oro?"

"Can I have my hairbrush back?"

"Oro!" He blushed. Kaoru smiled at him. He quickly handed it back to her.

"You pulled the hair out of it?" Kaoru asked.

"H-hai… Some of my hair got in it, and I didn't think it'd be very polite of me to hand your brush back in such a condition, de gozaru yo."

"Wow… That's so nice," She said happily. "-but unnecessary."

"Yes, well…" Kenshin fiddled with his fingers.

"Okay!" Saitou pounded his fist down on the desk, making it shake, and silencing everyone. "Does anyone remember what we were learning yesterday?"

Silence.

"If no one answers, I'll give you a pop quiz to refresh your memory."

Every hand in the class went up except for Kenshin's. "oro… I don't like it here, de gozaru yo…" He sunk down in his desk.

-

"Oro… What a torture zone…" Kenshin said, stumbling out of his class. Sano laughed.

"Yeah, well, that's Saitou-san for ya'," He said. "You just gotta learn to better him, and he'll treat you well."

"Who's done that?"

"No one."

"Oro."

"What? Come on, it's not that bad. You'll get used to it, I promise."

"…"

"So…" Sano walked up next to Kenshin, a smirk on his face. "I see that you've got your eyes on Jou-chan," He said.

"Who's Jou-chan?" Kenshin asked.

"Oh, that's what I call Kaoru."

"K-Kaoru?!" Kenshin blushed.

"Yeah, you two shared a hairbrush…" Sano nudged him as if it was something sexual.

"Sh-she just… let me borrow," Kenshin said. "She let me borrow it, de gozaru yo."

"Girls don't let boys use their hairbrush."

"Maybe she just thought my hair was cleaner than other boys'."

"Why would she be noticing your hair…?"

"'cause it's the brightest thing in the school."

"Oh, come on, admit it! You like Kamiya!"

"I barely know her, de gozaru yo!" Kenshin retaliated, blushing even more deeply. "M-maybe someday… but I---not now! Besides, I don't have time for a girlfriend right now."

"Whatever," Sano shrugged. "I--- Oh, look, it's Yahiko," He smirked.

Yahiko turned and saw Sanosuke and Kenshin.

"Hey! I thought we were friends!" Yahiko yelled at Kenshin.

"Oro? You are my friend."

"Then what're you doing with… _him?" _Yahiko gave Sano a look that sent Sanosuke's eyes a' flaring.

"I don't think I like the way you said 'him'!" Sano yelled. "It's noogie time!!!!" He grabbed Yahiko and rubbed his fist in his spiky black hair.

"Sweet mother! Oh, man! Stop it!!!" Yahiko kicked and screamed.

"Stop it, Sano!" Kenshin demanded, but Sano didn't hear him over Yahiko's yells and complaints.

"Put him down, you ignoramus," A voice said. Yahiko hit the floor and rolled over twice.

"Ow! Man…" He said as Kenshin leaned over him to see if he was okay.

"Hey, foxy!" Sano said.

"Oh, it's Megumi-san," Kenshin said.

"Don't call me foxy," Megumi said angrily.

"Whatever," Sano laughed. "So, Megitsune, who's life are you trying to foil?"

"Shut up. Don't call me Megitsune either, or it's your life I'll foil… not that you have one."

"Burn!" Yahiko yelled, pointing at Sano.

Sano pouted. "See ya' later, Kenshin. I've gotta go on to practice," He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away.

"What kind of practice?" Kenshin asked.

"The guys and me are gonna practice our kendo so we stand a chance tomorrow. You wanting to come or something?"

"Knowing Hiko-san, he'll make me go first," Kenshin said. "I'll be happy to go."

"I'm coming too!" Yahiko declared. "I'm awesome at kendo!"

"Uh-huh, sure, quiet now. The grown-ups are talking," Sano said flatly, still offended by Yahiko's burst.

"I'm serious!!"

"Can I come too, Sanosuke?"

"Hm? Oh, hello, Jou-chan!" Sano said cheerfully. "Have you met my friend, Kenshin?" He shoved him towards her.

"oro… Hello…"

"Yes, we've met. So, can I come? I teach some kendo classes. Maybe I can show you guys a thing or two!"

"Sure, whatever."

"You're a lousy teacher!" Yahiko yelled.

"Oh, yeah? Well maybe you're just a lousy student!" Kaoru retaliated, getting in Yahiko's face. They both growled at each other, fire flying from their eyes.

"I take it she teaches Yahiko then…" Kenshin sweat dropped.

"Let's go already! School's over, people! Practice! We have to practice!" Sano zoomed off down the hall.

"H-hey! Wait for us!" Kenshin yelled, running after him. Kaoru grabbed the back of Yahiko's uniform and tossed him over her shoulder, running behind Kenshin.

Megumi shook her head, humiliated, and walked away.

-

When they all made it to the gym, everyone else was already practicing.

"I'm going to go change," Kaoru said.

"Yeah, me too," Yahiko said.

"Did you bring any extra clothing?" Sano asked.

"Hai, but I didn't plan on changing unless I got something spilled on my uniform, de gozaru yo."

"Well, go on anyways," Sano said. "I'll roll out the floor mats so that we don't slip and fall."

"Okay, thanks," Kenshin said walking away."

-

Kenshin stepped out of the shower area where he and Yahiko had changed in private. Yahiko was wearing a yellow shirt with a black collar, a picture of a 'do not walk' guy falling off a skateboard on the front, and the words WARNING: PAIN WILL ENSUE underneath the picture. He had on army-green cargo pants as well, and he had slipped his white tennis shoes back on.

Kenshin had put on a black t-shirt that was too long and had the word 'ORO…?' spread across the chest area in white letters. He wore blue jeans underneath such, and his tennis shoes were white as well. His ponytail hung down his back as usual.

"Kenshin, Yahiko!" Kaoru came running up in a pair of khaki capri pants, a pink t-shirt, and a white jacket over it. She was wearing zori sandals for some odd reason.

"Hello," Kenshin said cheerfully.

"Hmph." Yahiko looked aimlessly off in another direction. He then walked off to where Sano was. He, on some last minute whim, had changed his mind and begun practicing with his fists instead of a wooden weapon.

"Hey," Sano grinned at him.

"Shouldn't you be using this?" Yahiko handed him a shinai.

"Nah, if I use a weapon at all, I prefer a boken over a shinai. Shinai are too light."

"Fine, whatever," Yahiko said, taking it back.

"Come on, Yahiko," Kaoru said strictly.

"What?" Yahiko complained.

"Now, I can finally train you without you skipping out on class," She said, glaring at him.

"Fine, I'll learn your little sword style."

"For your information, it's not just MY style! It's been passed down through generations, and it not just a little style!" Kaoru yelled at him. "You ignorant little child!"

"Ugly tanuki!" Yahiko yelled back. They began arguing like wild cats.

"Kaoru-dono is certainly feisty today, isn't she," Kenshin sweat dropped.

"What do you mean? She's always like this," Sano said, slipping up next to him. Kenshin's eyes bulged out. Sano picked his teeth with a toothpick.

-

Kenshin sat, admiring Kaoru and Yahiko as they practiced. They seemed to be working very hard. He could spot many flaws in Yahiko's technique, and Kaoru would correct them, but what she didn't know was that she was making a few mistakes of her own.

Kenshin's eyes, blind as they were, seemed to be trained for swordsmanship. He could spot errors in any swordsmanship and fix them, whether it was mentally or physically, like when he did a few years ago, when he 'dabbled' in swordsmanship. He always figured that he wasn't very good at it though, for every time he would work with a boken or shinai, it would break after his first attack. He figured he had to of been doing something wrong, so he quit on it for awhile. Of course, secretly he would often wonder why they would break and how he would fair against an actual opponent.

"Yo, Kenshin!" Sano suddenly yelled.

"Oro?"

"Are you going to practice or what?"

"My skill with a weapon is lacking, de gozaru yo."

"Well, you'd better practice anyways or you'll be dead meat when you face Chou tomorrow."

"Why wait until tomorrow," A voice suddenly said, silencing the entire gym.


	6. Kenshin vs Chou!

Chapter 6: Kenshin vs. Chou!

The whole gym fell silent.

Chou stood in the doorway, smirking at all of them. "Well, now, Himura, what do you say?" He said, walking in slowly, his feet making large, echoing noises on the gym floor.

"I---I---I don't want t-to-" Kenshin stuttered.

"Oh… Don't give me bad sportsmanship," Chou said. "I believe… all you need is…" He then grabbed Kaoru by the ponytail and lifted her off the floor. "…a little inspiration!" He then laughed as if it was funny.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin cried.

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU FREAK!" Kaoru yelled, swinging her boken at him. Chou caught it and yanked it out of her hands, tossing it to the floor. Her eyes widened.

"Kaoru!" Yahiko cried, running at Chou with his shinai. Chou kicked Yahiko in the stomach. He dropped his shinai, grabbed his stomach, stumbled backwards, and fell down.

"STOP IT!" Sano yelled, running at him. "You dirty bastard!"

"I refuse to fight anyone but Himura," Chou said, glaring at Sanosuke. "-and if he doesn't fight, I'll kill this woman."

"What?!" Sano's eyes widened.

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin felt a sudden fear in his veins, not for his life, but for hers, and it made his blood run cold.

"I'll do it," Chou said.

Kenshin stood up. "I will fight with you!" He yelled, his eyes narrowing, but the glare of the lights hit his glasses, making it unable for Chou to see.

"That's what I wanted," Chou said, throwing Kaoru across the gym. Sano caught her, falling down from the sudden weight upon him.

Kenshin walked down from the stands and stood on the mat, picking up Kaoru's boken. _This guy threatened to kill Kaoru-dono… Shouldn't he be in jail? Oh, yes, I remember. Yahiko said that the police are afraid of them… Then what am I doing out here?! _

"I'll use my own boken," Chou said, pulling one off of the rope tied around his back. It seemed to be nothing more than a finely crafted stick. The only thing separating the butt of the sword and the wooden blade was a small indention. Despite its simplicity, though, it seemed to be stronger than Kaoru's, and better made to boot.

Kenshin and Chou stared each other down. _Okay… Kenshin, you need to remember what you taught yourself a few years ago… I've never been good at this, and now I'm even worse! Oro… Come on, Kenshin, you need to get control of yourself, de gozaru yo. You're protecting Kaoru-dono… and everyone else come to think of it… Think, Himura, think!_

Chou made his move before Kenshin could figure out what he was supposed to do. He saw him coming. His eyes widened, and suddenly, before he knew it, Kenshin had slid across the mat, crouched down with his boken raised high behind him.

Then, something snapped, and it wasn't his body. The blade of the boken fell off and hit the mat. Kenshin's eyes enlarged, and he felt a sudden wave of tension run over him. _What do I do now?! _

"Not bad," Chou said, running his hand over the bruise on his stomach. "-but now you can't do anything… Battousai."

_Why do they call me Battousai?! _He thought, but soon decided that he needed to find a weapon stronger than Kaoru's boken… and he needed it fast.

"KENSHIN!!!" Sano yelled out. Kenshin reached out and caught what he had thrown to him.

"Oro?" He said, looking at it.

"That's Hiko-san's boken!" Sano yelled.

Kenshin examined it. It was very, very similar to Chou's boken, if not identical, and he figured it was a very strong boken. After all, Hiko Seijirou would need a strong weapon. He himself was strong. It also felt about twice as heavy as Kaoru's.

"Let's go," Chou said, preparing for another attack.

Kenshin felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He felt his heart pounding, and he was feeling something he had never felt before. His hands tightened their grip on the butt of the sword, and his eyes narrowed more than before. All of a sudden, his mind came to an idea. He grabbed the broken boken off of the floor and threw it behind him. It hit the light box and all of the power went out. The gym darkened greatly.

_I see well in the dark… Maybe now I have a slight advantage over him… _Kenshin thought to himself. _I just need to keep myself as quiet as I can to make sure he isn't fully aware of my position. _

Sano looked blindly into the dark. Kaoru grabbed his arm. "Sano… why did he just do that?"

"I don't know…" Sano muttered. _Damn… Why's he shielding himself in the dark? This was such a dumb idea. Stupid, stupid Sano!!! Damn!_

Chou ran across the mat and threw his boken down at Kenshin. Kenshin heard it and blocked it with his own. The wood hit with a large clap noise.

Kenshin looked up through his glasses at the barely visible form of Chou. He gritted his teeth and kept at it, refusing to let Chou break his block…. But his vision had become blurry. He wondered if he was about to faint.

Chou was slowly gaining power over the red-head, pushing Kenshin's boken closer and closer to his face. He could tell that Kenshin was still putting up a fight, but he wasn't worried about losing. _He might be the Battousai, but after all these years, he's easy. I can't believe that we even thought he was a major threat… ha… This guy's pathetic. Maybe they were wrong after all._

_I can't lose…I can't lose… _Kenshin repeated over and over, shutting his eyes tight and throwing all his weight into his block. Then…

Something in him broke.

"HAH!" He cried, sending Chou sliding across the mat. Kenshin's glasses cracked and then broke. Red liquid in the form of a scar cut across his face. He panted from the force of the blow as his blood dripped on the floor.

_Woah… _Chou rose up, and he could see what little light that shined through random places reflecting off of Kenshin's blood and the glass on the floor. _I've never felt such strength. Now we're getting started… but I gotta remember that I can't bring him out completely yet… not that I could… but it'll all start falling into place later tonight. We'll get him yet, heh heh…_

Kenshin felt the wood cracking on his boken. _Oh, no… _He thought, wanting to scream it. He then heard it break… but it was a sort of hollow sound. Then, the small amount of light shined upon it.

"A… blade…" Kenshin couldn't help but say aloud. It was now that he realized that his vision was no longer blurred.

Chou stood up and smirked. "I-"

All of a sudden, the lights came back on.

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked and his eyes returned to normal. Everything around him became blurry.

"What's going on in here?"

"Hiko-san!" Kaoru cried in relief.

Kenshin turned to look Hiko in the eyes.

"Huh?" Hiko immediately noticed Chou. "Get out of here!" Hiko threatened. Chou laughed and walked out, smirking his usual smirk.

"H--Hiko…" Kenshin said.

Hiko snatched the blade from Kenshin's hand. "BAKA!" He yelled.

"Oro?"

"What do you think you're doing? Challenging Chou like that… What kind of moron are you?"

"I--I was protecting Kaoru-dono… Chou threatened to kill her, Hiko-san!" Kenshin explained. "He said that if I didn't fight him and only me…"

Hiko laid his strong hand on his shoulder. "Go home."

"Y-yes… shishou…" Kenshin said.

"Shishou?" Hiko repeated.

"What?" Kenshin looked at him strangely.

"You called me-"

"What are you talking about?" Kenshin asked switching his broken glasses for his spare pair and cleaning off his face.

"Oi… nevermind."

"Goodnight…" Kenshin said slowly. He walked out of the gym and realized it had gotten dark.

Chou leaned against a wall, unnoticed. _Now, it begins…_


	7. The Pain in a Heart

Chapter 7: The Pain in a Heart

Kenshin walked slowly down the street, staring at his feet. They were barely visible in the dark, but Kenshin had a great memory and knew exactly where his house was.

_Why would Hiko-san carry a blade? Blades have been illegal since the Meiji Restoration. Shouldn't I have said something?_ He sighed. "What could I have said?" He asked aloud. "No one would've believed me… and besides… Maybe he needs it for some reason. I just hope it wasn't some old family heir-loom… I broke it…

His mind traced back to the fight he had with Chou. It almost seemed like a dream. It was over so suddenly… and Kenshin felt separated from himself all the way through. He had trouble concentrating at that point, but it came to him at the very last second, as if it was instinct. Had he really needed to hack his brain at all? It bothered him so much… and why did Chou want to fight him… and only him? He was willing to kill Kaoru to do it too. What was so special about him? Why were the Juppon Katana so interested in him? Did they know something that he didn't? He felt as if it was obvious, and he felt like an ignoramus for not figuring it out.

Kenshin soon made his way to his house and walked into the garage. He opened the door and entered the kitchen. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" He called happily as he slipped off his shoes. "I'm sorry I'm so late…" He said walking around the corner. "I met some new friends at school and---- an--nnnd…." His eyes widened. His mouth fell open.

"…and…" He couldn't breathe. His socks began turning red from the warm, sticky liquid that soaked the floor. "Oh… my… m-m-mom… d-d-dad…" He dropped to his knees, and his pants soaked in the crimson fluid.

He grabbed his mother's limp body and lifted it towards him. He felt tears slip past his eyes, but he refused to blink. He couldn't. The image before him would not let him. His hands were turning red and the blood was splattering all over the front of him.

He felt her slip from his arms and fall to the floor. His stumbled to get up, stepped back very slowly. "No… no, no, no, no…" He said slowly as he backed up to the back door and then busted out.

-

Kenshin felt himself running blindly through the dark, and he became unaware of anything. He just kept running.

_Stupid…I wish I could go one day without that group of bastards, the Juppon Katana, getting on my nerves… _Hiko said to himself as he droved down the road. _Why can't they just- _"WOAH!" Hiko slammed on his brakes, a screeching noise echoing from his tires.

Kenshin stopped and stared straight into the headlights of a car he had run out in front of. He panted, his eyes staring eccentrically.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Hiko yelled, getting out of his car. "What're you doing running in front of-" It was then that Kenshin ran to him and clutched his shirt desperately.

"Y-you got-gotta h-h-help me! Dear god! GOD GOD! Please, h-help me, help me! Sweet mother of god? Why?! WHY?! Help me, god! Someone please! PLEASE!" Kenshin yelled crazily, his words slurring. "HELP ME!"

"Woah! Slow down!" Hiko cried, then finally got a good look at him. "Himura?"

"HELP ME! MOM! DAD! They're- mom, dad--- God! Someone!"

"Stop a minute! Kenshin!" Hiko shook him, trying to get him to gain composure. "What is going--" Kenshin stepped back and tripped, falling into the headlights. "…on…" Hiko said, staring at Kenshin's clothing.

"H-h-help… me…. P-please?… My mom… my dad… they…"

"Show me the way, kid," Hiko said, grabbing his shoulders.

"I-I-I don't know… I don't know…" Kenshin shook his head several times. "Over… street… there…" Kenshin pointed down the street he had came. Hiko picked him up and put him in the passenger seat, driving where he'd pointed.

-

Hiko walked into Kenshin's home and turned the corner. "Uh--!" Hiko was stunned. Kenshin broke down, crawling to his father and shaking him, crying hysterically.

"This… is horrible…" Hiko said. He stepped back and grabbed Kenshin's phone, dialing the number for the police. "Uh-hello? This is Hiko Seijirou, and I need to report a murder… What do you mean 'am I sure they're dead'?! There's blood everywhere, you bastard! Get down here now!"

Kenshin hugged his knees and stared at the bodies, rocking back and forth. "…who… did…this…? Who… did… this?" He muttered, over and over again. "They'll die… they'll…"

Hiko hung up the phone. "Kid…" He leaned down and grabbed his shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

"Mom… Dad…" Kenshin muttered. Hiko dragged him away from them.

-

It was utter chaos at Kenshin's house that night. Police cars and ambulances had pulled up, and everyone was running around and yelling at each other. Kenshin watched all of them go by in slow motion, a completely blank look on his face. He could hear their screaming and yelling, but they were quiet, muffled sounds, as if they were under water. He heard his own shaking breaths as well.

Suddenly, a heavy hand flew down upon his shoulder.

He gasped, raising up his head. He felt warm tears run down his cold face. He turned and faced the man behind him with frantic eyes. Hiko stared down at him calmly, still looking dominant and daunting.

"H--h---Hiko-san…. When did you get here?" Kenshin asked, proving to Hiko how lost he had actually been for the past hour.

"You're coming home with me tonight," Hiko said. "Let's go."

"O-oro?" Kenshin continued to stare up at him. He looked down. "W--why--- how…. Who?" Kenshin refused to look up as he bit his lip.

"I don't know. I'm sure it will all come through on the police record… Now, come on." Hiko put his hand on Kenshin's back and led him to his car.

-

Hiko drove down the street in the darkness. Kenshin stared at his feet, invisible in the dark floorboard. He felt so empty. "I…" He said.

"Hm?" Hiko turned and glanced at him.

"I should have been there… to protect them… but I was too busy… playing games… de gozaru yo…"

"No," Hiko said, his deep voice shaking Kenshin into looking at him. "You were too busy protecting Kaoru from being killed… and even if you had gotten there before they were killed, you would have been murdered as well. Then, Kaoru would've been hurt by Chou, and your family would have been dead. You should be proud. Only two murders happened tonight. There could've been four."

"No," Kenshin said. "NO! I--I could've done something!!!" He grew silent for a long time after that, the only noise being the tires on the road. "…when do I get to go back to my house?… and…. Where do I go after this? Will I be sent to a foster home?"

"I don't know. That's all up to the police and the decision of the government."

"I… I have some things back at my house to get… when I go… wherever…"

"Do you have any relatives?" Hiko asked.

"No."

"None?"

"I'm the only one left with the blood of Himura."

"Is that so…" Hiko said. Silence echoed through the car.

Kenshin lowered his head until his bangs hid his eyes. "… I could have… done… something…"

Hiko wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that there had to be a reason that Kenshin's parents were now dead. The police said that no killings had been reported in months, at least not like that. It could've been anyone, but who knew Kenshin so well that they killed his parents? He had just gotten to this town! Unless of course it was someone from where he used to live… It could have been why they moved in the first place…

"Kenshin."

"what…" Kenshin stated.

"Why'd you move here, to Tokyo?"

"My father got transferred here for his job. He was making much better money, but I guess it doesn't really matter now… Mom… she had always wanted to move here. She told me that the possibilities were endless for me here, de gozaru yo…" He looked out the window at the darkness, lights gleaming like multi-colored fireflies within it.

"Did your family have any enemies?"

Kenshin was silent as he thought about it. "No… No, we were on good terms with everyone. I know that because my mom had to make cookies for everyone at Christmas, and it took her hours to make enough for all of her friends." He smiled slightly, but it quickly faded. "I'll never taste her cookies again."

"What about your dad?"

"My father was one of the best men on the planet. He did his job to his very best and treated everyone with respect. He took good care of his family, and he always made sure that everyone had everything he could give them."

"-and you? Did you have anyone against you at your old school?"

Kenshin laughed slightly. "I wish… I didn't have many friends, much less enemies. No one really cared what I did. I must say, I like it much better here… or at least I did."

"Then… I don't understand why this would happen… but you need to get a grip on yourself…"

"Oro?" Kenshin felt a ping of anger in his heart.

"Listen. Crying and mourning will not bring them back. It will only bring you more suffering, and I'm sure that's the last thing they wanted. They wanted you to be happy, and that's what you need to do. Fulfill their wishes, Kenshin. Be taken care of, and make something of yourself. You can't just sit in the floor wishing that something happened."

"-but-"

"Go ahead and give this a try. Wish in one hand, and spit in the other. See which one fills up faster. Now, you're fairly intelligent, so do the math."

"…but…"

"Don't bother, kid. I'm forty-three years old. I've seen a lot, and I know these things from experience. This is a step you'd have to take in your life eventually, so stop crying."

"I---I can't help it…" He said. "I… I saw my parents in a puddle of their own blood!!! I held their cold bodies in my arms, and they died for no reason!!! Don't tell me what I can and can't do! You've never seen your parents slaughtered in their own home!!!!" He broke down and buried his face in his knees.

"You're correct about this, Himura… but you can't just assume that I haven't seen my fair share of death. I've gone through stages like so, but I've learned that it does nothing more then tear me up inside. You don't need to beat yourself up. It'll only make it worse. Remember the good things that happened with them, not the bad. It'll only make it harder to get over, do you understand?"

"y-yes…" Kenshin whispered. "…but it's really hard…"

"Well, duh. It's because we humans were cursed with the power of emotions. Sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're bad, but they all make you able to enjoy sake."

"Sake?" Kenshin stared at him. Hiko smirked at him. Kenshin wiped his tears away and looked out the windshield. "What makes sake taste good?"

"Have you ever had it?"

"No…"

"Poor soul."

"Oro…"

"What's that mean anyway…?"

"What?"

"Nevermind…"

(A/N: Sad, huh... Did anyone see that coming? Anywho, I just wanted to thank you for all the reviews. I feel loved beyond imagination. Also, I was asked if there was going to be more humor in it. There is, no worries... Oh, and to that same person, read your history book. I don't want to be blamed for bad grades, ya' know. Anyway, that's all I had to say. TTYL, guys. Sayonara!)


	8. Aftermath

Chapter 8: Aftermath

Hiko opened the passenger side door. "Come on. We're here."

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up at him, hazy eyed.

"We're at my house."

-

Hiko's house was enormous! It wasn't visible in the dark, but the outline of it could prove it was a two-story home. Hiko opened the garage and walked in through such, turning to the left and opening the door into the house. Kenshin trudged in slowly after him.

Hiko's garage led into the kitchen. There was a laundry room on the left of Kenshin, and on the right was the kitchen. The table was set in front of a large picture window, and it was covered with empty bowls, newspapers, magazines, and take-out boxes. Coats were strewn over the chairs, and the counter tops were covered with all kinds of things. The oven seemed to of not been used in years, and the microwave was open, boxes of cereal taking storage within it.

After leaving the kitchen, there was the living room, where the television sat up above the fireplace in the back, right corner of the room. There was a couch with a blanket stung lazily across it, and the throw pillows from it, and the love seat, were all over the floor. The coffee table had coffee cups, regular cups, soda cans, and bottles of sake set along it, as well as around the table. He had a c.d. player over in the closest, right corner that seemed to not of been used in forever. There was dust settling on it.

In between the television corner and the c.d. corner, there was a large open area that led into the foyer where the front door was. Next to the front door was the stairs, and to the left of the stairs was a small hall that led to a room with a closed door, most likely a bedroom.

"Follow me," Hiko said, stomping up the stairs. Even with his shoes off, he still made large noises on the floor. Kenshin slowly padded up after him barefooted. They went up, turned on the landing, then headed up the rest of the stairs.

There was a bathroom on the right at the top of the stairs, then on the left was a long hallway. It had a door right in the middle which likely led to a closet or attic, then on the right was another bedroom.

Hiko opened the bedroom door and showed him in. "This is where you'll stay."

The room had a bed with no sheets or comforter, just a pillow. There was a dark, oak dresser with a mirror on the left side of the room with a small television sitting on the back corner, closest to the window on the back wall. There was also a small book shelf with nothing on it, sitting in front of the closet.

"I'll get you some blankets and something to sleep in. Go take a shower and wash up. There are towels in the closet."

Kenshin stared at him for a few minutes.

"Get goin'," Hiko said, nodding his head towards the bathroom. Kenshin did as told.

-

The water was turned up all the way, but no matter what, he couldn't feel it. He stared up into the shower head, trying desperately to focus his thoughts on other things. He couldn't understand why all of this had happened, much less why it happened to good people like his parents. He felt something in him, something that was broken, but it seemed he couldn't figure out what. It wasn't his heart, for all it did was empty into a void, but perhaps there was a crack in his soul. Yes, a crack in his soul, he wondered. Was it possible? He wasn't even sure if it made any sense at the moment, for his mind was in a fuzz, like the static on a television screen.

He scrubbed desperately at the blood on him, and even when it was gone, he continued. It wouldn't seem to come off mentally. He couldn't find himself clean, and every time he finally would start to, he would see the pink water going down the drain and continue once more. He rubbed at it with a soap-lathered cloth until his skin went raw, from the material or the scolding hot water was the question, but it caused him pain.

The curtains suddenly flew open, sending a wave of cold air into the shower. "ORO!" Kenshin cried at the sight of Hiko who just stood there.

"Save some hot water for those of us that have to go to work, baka," Hiko glared at him. "I brought you a nightshirt, now give it up."

Kenshin grabbed the curtain to shield himself, blushing in humiliation.

"Hey, we're both men. It ain't like I haven't seen it before. You bathe in a public shower long enough, you get used to it. I had gym class too, ya' know." Hiko looked at Kenshin's arms. They were pinkish-red and had a few blood spots on them. "Listen…" Hiko turned the water off and threw Kenshin a towel. "No matter what you do, the blood won't wash away for awhile. You're just hurting yourself. Go to bed. Try to sleep. I know that's probably impossible, but do it anyway."

Kenshin wrapped the towel around his thin waist and stepped out of the tub. His legs weren't in much better condition than his arms, and neither was his chest or abdomen.

"Jeez…" Hiko rolled his eyes. "G'night." He left, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

-

Kenshin slipped on the underwear he had worn earlier that day since he knew he had no other choice. Hiko's night shirt was much to big on him, and he had to roll up the sleeves so that he could see his hands. It seemed Hiko had brought him a toothbrush and some toothpaste. There was also a brush sitting on a hand towel nearby, and the hair dryer was plugged in. Kenshin brushed his teeth, dried and brushed his hair, and left the bathroom, slipping on his glasses.

-

Hiko had laid a sheet over the bed, and then an old, worn, gray-blue comforter. Kenshin didn't complain, for it must have been the best he could have done. He crawled in and laid down, but he didn't turn off the light. He set his glasses on the bedside table that matched the dresser and stared up at the ceiling fan. He watched it go around in circles for about an hour as his mind drifted to other things, anything but the subject that it seemed to stick to.

It was then that he seemed to blink his eyes, and he found the light off and sunlight beaming through the window. "O---oro?" He asked sleepily as he rose up, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He put his glasses on and looked around the room, almost forgetting where he was. He yawned and looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It said nine o'clock.

"Nine o' clock?! I'm g-gonna be late for school!" He yelled, clambering out of bed. He tripped the moment he emerged from the warm covers, and when he rose up, he rose right out of his night shirt. He stared down at the floor and the memory of his mom shaking him awake in the morning flashed into his mind. He pulled himself up and turned to the mirror. "O… oro?" He found that tears were rolling down his face. He hadn't even felt them start. He quickly wiped them away and ran down the hall and down the stairs in his gray boxer shorts, his red hair flowing behind him.

-

"Hiko-san?" He called walking into the foyer. "Hiko? Hiko-san? Are you he-- oro?" Kenshin found a note on the coffee table.

_Dear Himura, _

_Stay at my house. Don't leave. I'll be home at four thirty. There are ramen noodles in the fridge. Just warm 'em up. Or order a pizza. Just put it on my tab. DON'T LEAVE MY HOUSE. Got it? Good._

_Sincerely,_

_Hiko Seijirou_

Kenshin set it down and stared out the large window that sat behind the couch. He stepped forward to go sit down and watched television when a look of disgust came across his face. He looked down at his foot that had accidentally stepped into a bowl of cheese dip. "Oh, sweet mother of God!" He cried, absolutely revolted. "Why is he living like this? Doesn't he know how to pick up after himself?" He asked the house as he hopped into the kitchen and used a rag that laid carelessly in the sink to clean off his foot. He stopped and looked around. "I suppose not… so… why is he living in such a big house? It seems he lives here all alone."

He put the rag in the laundry room where he found piles of dirty clothing set in random places as if they were going to be washed. "How can he survive like this? My father wouldn't tolerate this, de gozaru-" He felt a sudden wave of hurt run over him, and he had to battle the tears to keep them from falling this time. "Well… I need to get my mind off of things, de gozaru yo. I wonder what kind of music he listens to."

-

"Hey, Kenshin's not here today," Sano said to Katsu as the two walked into their History class.

"Yeah, I noticed. Yahiko said that he wasn't at the tree at lunch. I wonder what happened."

Chou walked past the two and smirked. Sano caught it out of the corner of his eye and grabbed his wrist. "What did you and your little buddies do, Chou?" Sano glared menacingly at him.

"We didn't do anything," Chou said, but the way he said it proved that he knew who did.

"Then, who did?!" Sano growled. "-and what? What'd they do, Chou?!"

Chou snickered.

"Sano."

"Huh?" Sano turned around and saw Hiko in the doorway.

"Don't butt in on other people's business," Hiko said. His voice was quiet, but it had never sounded more frightening. Chou didn't even need to be told to go sit down. He seemed glad enough to get away from the daunting, middle-aged teacher.

"H-h- Hiko-san…" Sano muttered. "Wh-what's the matter?"

"Kenshin might not be back in school for awhile," Hiko said. "Don't think anything of it. When he comes back, he'll tell you… if he wants to. Don't pressure him."

"-but---"

"Do what I say, Sagara. I know what took place, and all I can say is that it was a really traumatizing event."

"O… okay…"

Hiko walked off.

_Now, I'm really worried… Maybe Kaoru knows. Her and Kenshin are close… Well, as close as you can get for knowing someone for one day. Eh heh heh… Nah, I doubt she knows… Oh, well… It won't hurt to ask. Doesn't she live-_

"Class is beginning now!" Hiko said, more loudly than usual. Everyone sat up straight. "We're going on with the revolution, and this time, Himura isn't here to answer your questions for you. Now, at risk of sounding like Hajime, I'm giving out… a pop quiz!"

Everyone began moaning.

"DON'T START!" Hiko bellowed, silencing them once more.

_Oh, man! What happened last night?! _Sano wondered, severely concerned. _If only I knew where he lived… _


	9. Hiko Seijirou and Himura Kenshin

Chapter 9: Hiko Seijirou and Himura Kenshin

Hiko walked towards his car, spinning his keys around his finger. He had a deep look on his face, and didn't stop until he spotted someone leaning against the passenger side of the car.

"Hajime," Hiko greeted promptly.

"I know what happened last night at Himura's house," Saitou said, puffing on his cigarette.

"Were you in on it?"

"No," Saitou's golden eyes turned to Hiko, but the rest of his body stood motionless. "-but I believe that I might know about why…"

"What? Tell me!"

"…Tell me…" Saitou blew smoke into the air. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Why?"

Saitou drew some papers from his coat and held it out to Hiko.

"I did some research to see if Himura's family had something evil within it. I ended up tracing something completely different, and it all leads to one name."

"Battousai…" Hiko read.

"If you read through the whole thing, you find that the Battousai became a rurouni after the revolution. He had many enemies from his past life, which might explain a few things if I can find some more information, but that doesn't' really add to what you want."

"No…"

"Well, perhaps you'll be more interested when you find out what his real name is."

Hiko stared at him.

"His name was Shinta, but his master, whom I couldn't find anything on, renamed him. He became… Himura Kenshin. It's all right there. Read over it as many times as you like, but I believe it."

"You're a psycho, Saitou, did you know that?" Hiko asked, slipping the papers into his black bag. "I'm taking these with me."

"Do what you want. I can make copies, but I don't need them… I know all of it first-hand."

"What?" Hiko looked up, but Saitou had seemed to of disappeared. Hiko stared out at the parking lot. "How does he do that?"

-

Hiko pulled his car into the garage and closed it behind him. He then stepped into the kitchen. "Huh?" His eyes widened.

The house was spotless. There wasn't a corner not cleaned; everything was immaculate. Everything was organized as well. All the closed were washed, dried, folded. Not only that, but he smelled food, real food. "What the---"

"Hello, Hiko-san."

Kenshin turned around and smiled at him. He was wearing clothes that were much to big for him, and his sleeves were tied back so they wouldn't get in the way.

"Hiko-san, I'm sorry, but I had to leave the house," Kenshin said, pulling a pan from the stove and scooping some things onto a plate. "How come you didn't have any real food in your house?"

He set to plates of spaghetti on the table that was set.

"You… cooked dinner? ---and you cleaned my house?!"

"I had to have something to get my mind off of things… Can I borrow this?" He asked, holding up one of Hiko's c.ds. "It's really awesome, de gozaru yo."

"Hey, listen, kid, I-"

The phone rang.

"Hold that thought. Now… where's the phone?"

"On the hook, Hiko-san."

"Right," Hiko nodded at him then picked it up. "Hello?"

Kenshin sat down and began slurping his spaghetti, showing basically no manners at the moment. He smiled after he swallowed. "I do believe I've outdone myself this time, de gozaru yo."

Hiko came back into the kitchen, sat down, and began to eat. "This is… good!" He said, surprised.

"It's a lot better than ramen noodles and take-out, isn't it?" Kenshin beamed at him.

"I've been living off that crap for six and a half years."

"Hold on, I'll get something to drink… What do you want?"

"Sake."

"Is that… all you have?"

"Yeah," Hiko said.

"I'm not allowed to drink alcohol…"

"I won't tell if you won't. I know you don't want to drink water, right?"

"Oro…" Kenshin sweat dropped.

"Anyways, that was the police on the phone," Hiko said. Kenshin set the sake bottle and two sake cups on the table.

"What'd they want?" Kenshin asked drearily.

"They said that you should stay with me a little longer. I'm taking you back to your house to get your things… if you can handle it."

"I need some clothing… and my bed sheets… I'd like to have those… and there are a few things in the attic I'd like to get. Also… maybe… some photographs… de gozaru yo…" A glare shined on his glasses, hiding his eyes.

"Have you even thought about what I said?"

"Yes, Hiko-san… I've taken all of that into accord… and I understand that, but… It's still…" Kenshin then shoved his mouth full of food to avoid the conversation more.

"Well, I suppose you should have your first taste of sake," Hiko poured each of them a glass. "-but wipe your mouth! You have to show the sake respect."

"You didn't according to my six hour cleaning spree."

"Just drink it," Hiko said.

Kenshin wiped his mouth and then, copying Hiko, he held the glass up to his lips. He then sipped very calmly at it.

"This tastes… strange…" Kenshin said, feeling a change in his body.

"You learn to enjoy it."

"I never thought I was supposed to learn to enjoy things. Shouldn't I already enjoy them?"

"Well, sake only tastes the way you want it. You can only have it the way you want, just like making love."

"I'd rather not discuss such matters," Kenshin blushed. Hiko laughed.

"What's the matter, Himura? Am I making you uncomfortable?" Hiko chuckled.

"Hai, Hiko-san…" Kenshin lowered his head slightly and began sipping at his sake a little more.

"Whatever. All I know is that when I was your age, that was all I wanted to hear about," Hiko smirked as if he was reminiscing. Kenshin's eyes flattened. "Hey, don't give me that look. When you think about beautiful women, sake tastes its best."

"Really?" Kenshin said, suddenly interested.

"Yeah," Hiko said, slurping up the noodles of his spaghetti.

Kenshin closed his eyes and thought for a few minutes. A thought of a certain beautiful, blue-eyed cheerleader from school. He then took a sip of the sake, and it tasted surprisingly better. He opened his eyes and smiled, halfway in a haze.

"That's the first real smile I've seen on you since we met, even if it is a stupid one," Hiko said.

"O-Oro?" Kenshin blushed and began shoveling the food into his mouth.

"I take it you were thinking about a hot chick that you'll never have, right?"

Kenshin looked up at him, eyes wide that read perfectly. "Oh, no, I never thought like that," Hiko said. "… There's never been a woman I couldn't have." Kenshin sweat dropped, swallowing.

"You're a History teacher and a gym coach at a high school."

"Not if I don't tell them."

"Oro…" Kenshin almost fell into his spaghetti. They sat in silence while they ate, finishing off the spaghetti and sake.

Hiko took the dishes and laid them carelessly in the sink. Kenshin sat there, staring at where his plate once was.

"So…" Hiko said, turning on the sink and washing his hands. "When do you plan on going back to school?"

"Tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Hiko's eyes widened.

"Hai… I can't fall behind. I'm behind as it is."

"You're one incredible kid, kid," Hiko said.

"…"

Hiko could feel the unsettling feeling in his home. He knew he had to change the subject, but he didn't know how.

"Hiko-san, why do you have such a large house? You live alone, don't you?"

"Yeah," Hiko said, drying his hands.

"So, why did you-"

"I inherited this house when the rest of my family died off. I've lived in this house my whole life."

"Oh. So… what happened to them?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Hiko said. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Okay," Kenshin stood up wiping his face with his napkin. "Oro!" He tripped over the chair leg and landed flat on his face.

"I guess you don't hold you alcohol very well," Hiko laughed, helping him up.

"I didn't really have that much, de gozaru yo!" Kenshin said.


	10. Protect the Ones You Love!

(A/N: Hello, peeps! Um... I wanted to say something to mr/miss ? D.F. Veda... Hey, I'm really glad you like the story, but uh... You're startin' ta freak me out. The last review you sent left me quite uncomfortable, and I thought I'd just tell you, I'll update at my own pace, don't rush me, and please don't write poems like that to me anymore. The praise is nice, but you don't have to worship me and threaten my life-even if you don't really mean it. It's kinda scary, and I really don't feel safe when I read stuff like that, even if you don't know where I live. I'm not in any means trying to offend you or anything, but I just thought I'd tell you to calm down. Also, pay attention in class. My story is merely something done within my free time, and you should take it upon yourself to think about it -in your free time-. Thank you. That's all I have to say. Now, on with chapter 10!)

Chapter 10: Protect the Ones You Love!

Hiko pulled up to Kenshin's house. Kenshin didn't move. He stared out the window at his home surrounded in police lines and people looking around.

Hiko got out and walked up to the police. "Hey, I've brought the kid over to get his stuff. Have you checked out for evidence in his room?"

"We've gone over the whole house. There's not a trace of who did this. It's almost as if the person found some way to avoid leaving any indication of DNA. Go ahead and take him in, but I don't think it'll be a pretty sight. There's still blood on the floor."

"I'll go get him," Hiko backed up and went back to his car, opening the door. "Do you want me to get your stuff?" He asked.

"No," Kenshin climbed out. "You don't know what I want to get," He looked up at him with a blank smile and walked slowly towards the house.

-

He stepped in through the front door and avoided looking at the kitchen at all. He hurried through the house and up the stairs, and even Hiko could hardly keep up. He walked up the stairs and walked to his room.

He ripped the sheets and comforter off of his bed and began pulling clothing out of his dresser. Hiko picked up the comforter and sheets and watched as Kenshin neatly packed everything into his suitcase.

"I---I just finished unpacking this the other day," He said, a panicked laugh in his voice. "I shouldn't have unpacked at all, de gozaru yo." He closed the suitcase. "I'm going into the attic."

"Okay," Hiko said. "I'll take this out to the car."

-

Kenshin sat on his knees in the attic, staring down at a picture of his family. He gasped as a drop of water fell upon it, and soon many fell. He shut his eyes tight, trying to control it, but it only made it worse. "Ah…." He muttered. "N-no…" He grabbed his head with his free hand and dropped the picture. "DAMN!" He cried, opening his eyes.

He settled down and wiped the tears away. "Why… Why wasn't I there to protect you?" He said to the picture. "I--- I have to be able to do something! Mom! Dad!" He hung his head. "I'm not okay… not without you!" He pounded his fist on the floor. "Send me a sign or something! Damn…" He stood up and turned away. "O-oro?" He blinked twice.

He stepped over to a long, black chest. It had rusted hinges and looked like it had been there forever. "I---I don't remember moving this," Kenshin said, kneeling down and running his hand across it. "Hm? It says something here… Property of… Himura Kenshin? That's me, de gozaru yo. Who… Why?" He pulled on the rusted lock, and it broke off, making him fall backwards. "Oro…" He said, swirly-eyed. "Oh…" He crawled back over.

Kenshin opened the chest and dust flew everywhere. He coughed and sputtered and then waved the dust out of the way. "O-oro? What is…" He reached into the box and pulled out the long object that lay upon a purple pillow and was wrapped in a lavender scarf.

_Do you believe… in reincarnation? _

"uh--Uh!" The scarf fell beautifully to the floor.

What he held was tall and lean with a black covering until it reached the golden area near the top. The rest was wrapped in yarn, making small, diamond shapes upon it's base. It ended with a silvery covering over the top.

"A… sword…" Kenshin said, wide-eyed.

_Even if it's only the handful of people I happen to meet on the street or in my home, I can still protect them with one sword._

"I…can… protect…" Kenshin mouthed.

_The will to live is strong - stronger then anything else!_

"With… this… sword… I will…" He muttered.

"Himura!"

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked and came back into reality. "Oh, Hiko-san!" Kenshin said, smiling. "Look at this!"

"Hm?" Hiko looked at the boy. It was a real smile… and there was something different about him.

Hiko took the weapon in his hands. "Hm… Looks like a sword." He pulled it out of its sheath. "Uh? The blade… it's on the wrong side!"

"It's a… sakabatou…" Kenshin said, looking at the blade, entranced in its reflection.

"Who's it belong to?" Hiko asked.

"I-It's mine."

"Heh?"

"Well, the chest said that it belonged to Himura Kenshin, de gozaru yo… Also, it had this," Kenshin held up the lavender scarf. "I've never seen these things before. I just found this old chest in the back. We didn't even move it… or at least I don't remember moving it, de gozaru yo." He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"So, what're you going to do with it?"

"I'm bringing it with me, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said.

"You have two suitcases… What do you want me to-"

Kenshin tied the scarf around his waist and slid the sakabatou into the side of it. He picked up his bag and smiled at him. "Let's go, shishou!"

"Shi-- You did it again!"

"Did what?"

"You---"

"What?"

He sighed. "Forget it. Let's get out of here… By the way, you look much happier. You've… gotten over it?"

"I think you might expect to much of me…" Kenshin said, looking up at him. "It's just that… Well… I suppose that from now on I need to protect what I've got left…"

Hiko stared at Kenshin's back as he walked out of the attic and down the stairs, and he didn't move for quite awhile. He smirked. "The kid's not as dumb as he looks…"

-

The next morning came early. "Get up!" Hiko bellowed.

"O… oro?" Kenshin opened his eyes halfway. He'd set up his bedroom and hung his sakabatou up on the wall. He rose up and rubbed his head.

"You have twenty minutes to get ready and out the door. If you aren't ready, I'll leave without you."

"okay…" Kenshin said lazily. He decided it'd be best if he did get ready though he seriously contemplated laying back down. He crawled out of bed and put on a clean uniform.

After brushing his hair and pulling it back, he slipped his glasses and socks on. He headed down the hall and brushed his teeth quickly, then hurried down the steps.

Kenshin had packed his lunch the previous night after he had gotten back. He put it in his backpack and zipped it up.

-

Kenshin stepped out of the garage and onto the driveway. Hiko was nowhere to be found, so he decided to walk up the driveway.

He looked around the neighborhood lazily as the hazy, cool morning settled against his thin body.

"Kenshin? Kenshin? What're you doing here?"

"Oro?" Kenshin turned around to face the house next door.

"Kenshin?"

"K-Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin said, amazed, as she ran up in the girl's uniform. "What are you-"

"I live here… What are you doing at Hiko-san's house?"

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked. "I'm staying here." He pointed at himself blankly.

"Oh… why aren't you staying at your house?"

"Uh-" It hit Kenshin hard. He hung his head, his bangs shadowing out his eyes.

"-and why weren't you at school? I never got the chance to-"

"Huh?" Kenshin looked up through his hair.

"--thank you… for saving me…" She smiled at him warmly.

_Hiko-san…was right…Had I not been at school, Kaoru-dono would have…but…I just…It doesn't matter…not anymore, I suppose._

"It was no problem…" Kenshin blushed. "I've decided to do all I can… to protect anyone who I may come across… de gozaru yo…"

"Kenshin…"

"My parents… they were brutally murdered in their own home…"

Kaoru gasped, tears escaping from her eyes as guilt washed over her.

"Don't… cry…" Kenshin said. "There was nothing anyone could do… and…" Kenshin beamed at her. "I do not wish to make women cry, de gozaru yo."

"How cute."

"Oro!" Kenshin's ponytail stuck up in the air, and his eyes bulged out. Hiko sat in his car, peeking out the driver's window and laughing.

"Kamiya, you want a ride?"

"Oh, thank you, Hiko-san!" She smiled at him, wiping away her tears. Kenshin blushed and bit his lower lip.

_Now he's just trying to humiliate me… _He thought to himself.


	11. Reincarnation? Kenshin Returns to School...

(A/N: hello again, peeps! Um... to sally... I'm not sure what happened... and I'm not even sure if I believe whatever could be going on my parents don't allow me to believe anything... but, if it's true or if it's not, I don't really care, and I say you should put your sister's fanfics up on the net, and possibly... tell me what you're talking about? I'm a bit lost. I really know your sister was a HUGE fan of this fic... or is? I don't know. I'm confused. You didn't really leave anything open. Everything was sorta guessable or whatever... Well, I suppose that's all I can say for now... if you're even attempting to read this...)

Chapter 11: Reincarnation? Kenshin returns to school!

"Oh, my God!" Sano said aloud from the wall in the commons.

"What now?" Megumi asked, walking up behind him and whacking him on the back of the head.

"Duh… Look! Himura and Jou-chan are walking together!" Sano said, pointing over-dramatically.

"Hm? Oh… Ken-san," Megumi smiled devilishly. "Now, really. You don't think he'd go for a cheerleader, would he?"

"I dunno… Weren't you supposed to be a cheerleader, foxy?"

"Don't call me foxy!" Megumi kicked him where it hurt.

"My… mistake…" Sano winced, falling over. He recovered surprisingly fast. "So… like, you were, right?"

"I don't have time for dancing around in mini skirts. I'm going to be a doctor, so I have to study."

"Wow… Your life is like… the opposite of mine. I don't study at all."

"You don't have to tell me that. I've seen the report cards you've thrown in the garbage."

"Deh…" Sano's eyes flattened. "Well, uh… Yeah…"

-

"I'm really sorry… Kenshin…" Kaoru said, slowly looking over at him.

"Oh…" Kenshin realized his bummed out mood. "Oro? Oh, I'm okay, de gozaru yo!" He put on his best fake smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Of c-course I am! I wouldn't lie to you, Kaoru-dono, de gozaru yo."

"Okay…" She smiled at him. "So, I guess you'd better go find your friends, huh."

"Oro?… Oh, you mean Sano and Yahiko and Megumi-san!" Kenshin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Kaoru giggled at him, and it was as if he was in heaven.

_This is so impossible… Someone wake me up. There's no way that a cheerleader can be so happy to be here… with me! ME! Oro… I must have rolled out of bed and hit my head, and now I'm in some sort of coma, de gozaru yo…or maybe it was just the alcohol. _

"Kenshin?"

"Oro?"

"He's been calling you for awhile now."

"Oro? Oh… Hajime-san…" Kenshin felt that wave of uneasiness slip over him again.

-

Kenshin slowly walked up to Saitou and smiled sheepishly at him. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Hajime-san?"

"I heard that you're living with Seijirou now," Saitou said.

"Um… yes, I am, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I was just making sure that everything I'd heard really happened… Himura, do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Oro? Wh-what kind of question is that?"

"Just a simple one," Saitou shrugged, puffing on his cigarette.

"Um, I don't think that's allowed on school grounds, sir," Kenshin said.

"I know."

"So, you want to get fired?"

"I've got plenty of better job opportunities lined up," He shrugged, his golden eyes gleaming.

Kenshin looked down at the floor. "I… suppose I believe in reincarnation…"

"I suggest you go through Hiko-san's bag, then. There is an article in there that might help you find out why your parents were murdered."

"What?" Kenshin was stunned. "How did you--"

"I help the police once in awhile. By the way, do consider this my help. I don't like you, but I dislike the Juppon Katana even more."

Kenshin's eyes widened. "Juppon… Katana…" He felt that broken feeling within him again. His fists clenched, and his lips quivered. "They…"

"KENSHIN!"

"Oro?" Kenshin fell over. Yahiko stood above him, cocking an eyebrow. "Oh, hello, Yahiko."

"Where were you yesterday?! We got our butts kicked in kendo!"

"Maybe I was avoiding kendo, de gozaru yo…" Kenshin laughed.

"What?! HEY!" Yahiko shook his fists in the air. "You can't skip!"

"I didn't…" Kenshin stood up, brushing himself off. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Huh?" Yahiko watched him walk into the building. _He changed so suddenly… I wonder what's wrong. _"Hey! Wait for me!" Yahiko yelled.

-

Kenshin kept almost silent through most of the day. Sano and Yahiko did all they could to pry out answers, but he just smiled his best fake smile and said that it was nothing. It seemed hopeless to get an answer from him.

Gym class rolled around. Kenshin changed into his gym clothing and walked out, hands behind his head.

They had rolled out mats and put up dummies to beat up. It seemed that they were doing another kendo class. Apparently, the last one didn't go too well.

Kenshin walked up to the group of Sano and his crummy buddies and smiled at them. They seemed happy to see him, and many of them congratulated him on his fight against Chou. He didn't really think too much of himself, but that did remind him of Hiko's blade.

Now, Kenshin sat on the bleachers, going over the fight in his mind. _Something felt different when I held that blade in my hand instead of a boken. It wasn't because it was heavier… It was…something else…_

"All right!" Hiko yelled out, walking in.

"Oro?"

"Everyone find a spot. The boken are lined up behind the mats as you can see. Just grab one and get to work." He went and sat down on the bleachers, opening his bag and going through it.

Kenshin paired up at a dummy with Sano since there weren't enough for everyone.

"Hmm…" Hiko pulled out a handful of papers. "Huh?" He had forgotten about them. "Saitou's weirdo theory?"

Kenshin reached out behind him and grabbed a boken, not even bothering to look. He wanted to hurry up and get started.

"Uh, Kenshin…" Sano began.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed at the dummy. He imagined it being Chou, and his vision blurred. He quickly propped his glasses up on his head and prepared his boken.

"Kenshin, isn't that…" Sano began again.

Kenshin' felt the wood between the fingers on his left hand as he prepared to draw from his right.

"Stupid Saitou… What's he thinking?" Hiko said aloud as he flipped through the papers.

"Kenshin, that's not-" Sano reached out.

Kenshin drew the boken from his hand, but the wood didn't leave his left hand. He sliced the dummy at lightning fast speed, making everyone turn around and look.

Hiko's eyes widened greatly. _That was… _

The dummy broke in half and fell to the floor. Kenshin glared at it. "Ah… Oro?" He blinked and pushed his glasses back down on his face. "This is… no boken… de gozaru yo…" Kenshin held up Hiko's blade. Apparently, he had found a new sheath for it.

"That was…" Sano stared at Kenshin. "That was… That was… AWESOME! WOAH!"

"Hey, can you teach me to do that?" Katsu asked.

"Yeah, me too!"

"-and me!"

"Ooooorrrrrooooooooooo….." Kenshin got swirly-eyes as he was surrounded by men eager to learn how to cut a dummy in half.

Hiko stared at them from across the gym. He looked down at the papers in his hands. "Maybe Saitou's not so crazy after all…" He said looking at the articles. "I hope he's not completely correct… I can't even imagine if Battousai walked the earth today…" Hiko slipped the papers back into his bag. _Maybe I should do some research of my own…_


	12. Past Life

Chapter 12: Past Life

Hiko had called a sudden free class in gym and left in a hurry, leaving his students alone and bewildered. He hurried into the library and sat down at a computer, logging on to the internet.

"Hmm…" Hiko typed quickly and looked through search engines. "Ah," He said, clicking on one link. He began reading down the page.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Hiko turned around in his chair and saw Soujirou smiling at him. "Seta-"

"You found our web page!" He said. "You could of just asked. I would have given you the link"

"Y-your page?" Hiko was stunned.

"No… Our page. We all man it. Ah… I see you've found the page about the Battousai. It's really deep. I'm sure you'll find it adequate."

"Why do you…"

"My friends and I are really into the past. We have pages on lots of people, like the Shinsengumi, and even the Oniwaban-shu. We have a few things on the Sekihotai too. Of course, I think the page on the Battousai is most extensive. I believe you'll find the paragraph about his master most interesting."

"What are-"

"Well, I've got things to do and people to see. Sayonara, Hiko-san!" Soujirou turned and walked away. Hiko stared after him for a long time.

"That child is… really odd… The air is so cold and empty when he's around…" Hiko muttered, turning back to the computer.

Before he could read, however, a hand collapsed on the top of the monitor, making Hiko look up. Saitou stood, smoking a cigarette, and staring at Hiko with a wolfish grin on his face. "Don't you have a class to be tending to?"

"They'll be all right."

"I supposed as long as the monkeys are caged…" Saitou shrugged. "-but since when did you hang out in the library?"

"You're wanting me to admit that your theory has some possibility, right?" Hiko asked flatly.

"I'm not going by bullshit written down on paper, Seijirou. I'm merely going over what I've begun to remember."

"Remember?" Hiko looked at him like he was crazy.

"Yes… Hajime Saitou… the Wolf of Mibu… Leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi, correct?"

"Maybe your parents just named you after him," Hiko said.

"This is true… but I remember my past… and it's time you remembered yours," Saitou walked off.

"What the hell is that man babbling about?" Hiko said aloud. "-but… then again…" He looked down at the page. "Hey, wait a minute!"

-

"What was the deal with Hiko-san's sudden change of tune, hm?" Sano asked, scratching his head.

"Maybe he forgot to do something, de gozaru yo," Kenshin suggested.

"So, will you teach us that slashy thing?" Sano asked eagerly.

"O-oro? I… I don't even know how I did that!" Kenshin explained. "-and it only cut in half because I was using a blade. I'm sure it was a weak dummy, that's all."

"Well… Let's all have a battle royal!" Sano yelled, his crummy buddies cheering the idea.

"Oro?"

"-or we could gamble! Yeah, let's gamble!" Sano yelled, with his pals, yet again, cheering him on.

"Uh… I have to go to the bathroom…" Kenshin sweat dropped and ran off.

"Okay, the name of the game is… POKER!" Sano yelled. The gym door slammed.

-

"Oro… What have I gotten myself into? They want me to fight and gamble?" Kenshin sighed as he stood in front of the urinal. "Oro…"

The bathroom door opened. Kenshin didn't really pay attention.

"Hello, Himura-san!"

"Oro?!" Kenshin looked over his shoulder.

Soujirou and Kamatari stood side by side, Soujirou beaming as usual, and Kamatari leaning on one of his hips.

"We want you to come with us," Soujirou said. "The rest of the team wants to meet you."

"So, wash up, and let's go, Battousai," Kamatari winked at him.

Kenshin quickly finished and zipped and buttoned his pants. "I'm not coming with yo-" He turned around and stopped himself.

Soujirou had removed a dagger from his uniform and had it pointed at Kenshin's neck.

"Sorry, but you don't really have a choice," Kamatari giggled, pushing him into the sink. He caught himself against it, though he did get a nasty bump on his head when he hit the mirror.

"Don't forget to wash your hands, Himura-san," Soujirou said. Kenshin winced as he looked down at the sink.

"Yeah, 'cause that would be gross," Kamatari said, turning the sink on for him, then shoving his head into the water.

He forced his head up moments later, his palm still firmly planted on the back of his skull. His glasses had fallen off, but he could still see. He didn't really think about it though, for he was concentrating more on gasping for air.

He slipped his hands into the water and grabbed his glasses, and suddenly, he was being dragged by his ponytail.

"I'm sure he'll come with us, Kamatari-san," Soujirou said, smiling.

"Let's not take any chances, Soujirou," He said. "Aren't they cute when they're helpless."

"I wouldn't know," Soujirou shook his head.

"Let go of me!" Kenshin tried desperately to pull away, only getting a pain at the nape of his neck.

"-or what?" Kamatari giggled. Kenshin whacked Soujirou's hand, sending the dagger flying through the air. Kenshin caught it.

"Let go or I'll kill you!" He yelled.

Kamatari let go. "Now, now, don't be like that, Battousai. Didn't you take an oath to never kill again?"

Kenshin was taken aback by this. "What are you talking about---" He felt a sudden weakness in his body as all of a sudden, he saw many things he had never seen before flying in front of his eyes.

He saw people being brutally murdered, not even given time to scream. There were flashes of his friends, dressed strangely, and then of many he didn't know, such as a man in a wicker hat with navy around his pupil and cornea. Then, there was a man wrapped in bandages, lit from behind by fire, making him barely visible. Then he saw a woman's body falling towards him, and then Kaoru in a kimono, on the ground, in tears. Was it Saitou coming at him in the dark? Was is Hiko Seijirou in that strange cloak, yelling at him? Was it Sanosuke in the white shirt with the symbol of 'bad' on the back? Who were the strange men of five, and who was the one in the back in the trench coat with his back turned.

_Do you…_

That was the sakabatou… wasn't it?

_…believe…_

Who were all those graves for?… and the purple scarf around the cross?

_…in reincarnation?…_

Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, Megumi…

The sound of a blade clashing against another.

Everything went black.

-

"Oh…" Kenshin opened his eyes slowly.

"Himura."

"O-oro?" Kenshin stared up at the man who was leaning over him, his icy blue eyes staring blankly at him. "You are… Shinomori Aoshi…"

"Yes," He said, his deep voice shattering anything warm within him. "So, the Juppon Katana remember as well."

"Remember… remember what? I don't understand what's going on."

"…"

Kenshin rose up.

"Here," Aoshi handed him a black piece of cloth.

"What's this for?"

"Your face is bleeding," Aoshi said dead-pan.

"Oh.." Kenshin put it to his left cheek as if he already knew where it was bleeding.

"You passed out. Smooth move."

"I saw many strange things…"

"…"

"Did you save me?"

"I didn't _save_ you. I merely dislike the Juppon Katana, and if you became one of them, then this world would come to an end. They'd be stronger than me, and I refuse to be weaker than anyone."

"Where are they now?"

"They walked off," Aoshi said. "They'll probably try and get you on their side again though."

"do you know… what I saw?"

"Flashes."

"Oro?"

"Flashes of your past."

"That never happened."

"-of your past… life. Look it up. You'll see what I mean," Aoshi said, stomping away, brooding as usual. Kenshin stared after him wide-eyed.

"My past… life?" He questioned.


	13. Sano's Idea!

Chapter 13: Sano's Idea!

"Hey, I was going to go to the mall after school today. Do you wanna come?" Kaoru asked as she put her books in her bag.

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Misao said, smiling as she shoved her pom-poms into her backpack. "Are you looking for your prom dress, Kaoru?"

"I guess I could take a look around," Kaoru shrugged. "-but the prom is still a ways away."

"Yeah, I guess," Misao said. "-but better to get it early than late, huh. So, who do you want to go with this year, Kaoru?"

"I--- I don't know…" Kaoru blushed, playing with her hair. "Who are you wanting to go with?"

"Well… DUH! Aoshi-sama!" Misao said, sparkly eyed, as she pulled her backpack over her shoulders.

"-but every year he hasn't even come… He never even asks anyone," Kaoru said as she pulled her backpack over her shoulders as well.

"Well, that's why I'm going to ask him this year," Misao said.

"-but-"

"Hey, no one ever said that I couldn't. I bet Aoshi-sama is just shy. If I ask him, I'm sure he'll say yes," Misao skipped around Kaoru, imagining her and her prince dancing.

"Hey, I could go with that new guy, Kenshin!" Kaoru said. _I mean, I'm sure it'd make him feel at least a little better, right? How do you get over something like that?_

"Uh… Kaoru… Maybe you should avoid that Himura guy…" Misao said, chewing on her lower lip afterward.

"What? Why?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh… well… I think he -might- be hanging out with the wrong crowd… or at least he's not at peace with them."

"What are you talking about? Kenshin hangs out with Sano and Yahiko and Megumi, and he's a really great guy! You don't even know him!" Kaoru said.

"-but… Well, uh… How do I explain…"

"I know… I know… I don't know him all that well either… but it's not like a romance date or anything. I just… feel a little sorry for him… Call it warrior's compassion."

"Feel sorry for him? For what?" Misao blinked twice.

"Ah--" Kaoru looked down at the floor. "Something really bad happened to him…"

"What?"

"His… parents… they…"

The door flew open. Aoshi stood in the doorway.

"Aoshi-sama!" Misao greeted happily, running to him and hugging him.

"…"

"Where'd you go, Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked as she let go.

Aoshi looked down at her. "…I was just going to the bathroom."

"Oh… okay," Misao said, reading his eyes. She leaned up against him. "Himura, right?" She whispered. He nodded stoutly.

"Aoshi, do you want to come with us to the mall?" Kaoru asked.

Aoshi stared at her for a long time. "I suppose."

"YAY!" Misao cheered, secretly knowing that the only reason he was coming was to discuss important matters while Kaoru was in one of the stores.

-

"They held a dagger to my face, Sano!" Kenshin said seriously.

"So?"

"SO?!" Kenshin was stunned.

"It's to be expected, man. They're evil ba--- HEY! It's Yahiko-chan!" Sano yelled.

"Grrrr… STOP THAT!" Yahiko yelled as he ran up, jumping on to Sanosuke's shoulders and biting his head. Megumi stood back and let him do it, smirking slightly.

"Hey, get off my head you little parasite!" Sano yelled.

"oro…"

"Ken-san, hello!" Megumi said.

"Oh, hello, Megumi-san," Kenshin smiled. "Sano and I were just having a discussion, de gozaru yo."

"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Sano asked suddenly. Everyone stared at him.

"I'm starving!" Yahiko said, jumping off of Sano. "We should go change and then go out to the mall!"

"I'll drive," Megumi said. "My car's out in the parking lot."

"Oh… I don't know, guys… I-" Kenshin began, but was stopped when he was dragged out the door. "HEY, WAIT!" He cried, but the rest of them giggled and laughed.

-

Megumi's car was very nice, a red convertible with white leather seats. The stereo blared some J-pop station while Sano sat in the passenger side (since he had called shotgun), and Yahiko and Kenshin sat in the back. Yahiko was showing Kenshin his broken watch, talking about how he needed to get a new one.

"So," Megumi said. "Which way's your house, Ken-san?"

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up.

"Don't you want to change?"

"Oh, yes… I suppose… I live next to Kaoru-dono… if you know where that is."

"I do… but isn't that Hiko-san's house?"

"Hai," Kenshin said.

"Dude, you're livin' with Hiko?" Sano turned around in his seat.

"Yes, I am…" Kenshin said.

"How come?" Yahiko asked.

"I… really… don't want to talk about it…" Kenshin looked out at the road, avoiding eye contact with them to let them know that the conversation was done.

"Hmm…" Sano said.

-

Kenshin ran into his house, kicking off his shoes. He was yanking his jacket off at the door and sliding across the kitchen floor in his socks. Hiko was sitting on the couch watching television. "Where have you been?" He asked as Kenshin entered the living room. "You didn't show up at the car so I left without you."

"I'm going to the mall with my friends, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said, heading up the stairs.

"Whatever… Just come back, 'cause I'll be hungry around six o' clock…"

"I'm not your slave!" Kenshin yelled as his feet made noise up the stairs.

"Yeah, you're my chef!" Hiko laughed.

"oro…" He heard.

-

Kenshin had slipped on a pair of dark denim jeans, a black t-shirt, and then pulled a white button up shirt over it, since it was cool outside. He examined himself in the mirror for a few minutes when his eyes met with the reflection of the back wall.

"The… sakabatou…?" He turned around to look at it. Was he getting a strange feeling from it? He slowly stepped up onto the bed and examined it as it hung on its hooks. He reached out and was just about to put his hand against the sheath when-

"Cool place you got here, Kenshin!" Sano said, running in. "Are you ready yet?" Sano had apparently brought his spare outfit with him for he was halfway through getting it on. His shirt was unbuttoned still, and he had a sock in his right hand.

"Oh… um… yeah," Kenshin hopped off the bed as Sano sat down on it to slide his sock on. He then began snickering. "What's with the girly scarf?" He pointed over at his dresser where the lavender scarf sat.

Kenshin stared at it forever it seemed. "…Tomoe…" He muttered.

"What?" Sano asked.

"Oro?"

"Who's Tomoe?"

"I don't know, who is she?" Kenshin figured it was some kind of joke.

"Deh… oh, nevermind," Sano said, standing up. "Let's go pick up chicks at the mall!"

"Oro…"

Sano laughed as he ran down the stairs. "H-hey! Wait for me!" Kenshin yelled, running after him.


	14. RunIn at a Bad Time!

Chapter 14: Run-In at a Bad Time!

Kenshin stared out at the road once again as Megumi drove her car down the street. Sano had called shotgun again, and now sat in the front in a black t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off and dark denim jeans with fringe around the bottom.

"OOH! I LOVE THIS SONG!!" Sano yelled, turning up the radio. He had long since put in one of his CD's, a hard rock disc that Megumi obviously despised.

Yahiko and Sano were pretending to play the guitar solo when she pulled into the parking lot.

"Remind me again why I brought you all?" She glared at Sanosuke.

"Oh, come on Megitsune! You couldn't just leave us there!"

"It was your idea, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said pointedly to Sano. Sano grinned nervously, then jumped over the door and out onto the parking lot. "I'm hungry! Let's mooch of cute girls for food!"

"Hey! Wait for me, stupid!" Yahiko yelled, scrambling out after him.

"Oro…" Kenshin muttered.

"Let's go, Ken-san!" Megumi said, sparkly eyed. "Oh-ho-ho-ho!" She nabbed him and dragged him into the mall.

-

"You know, Misao, I don't know what you have against Kenshin," Kaoru said, holding up a yellow t-shirt to examine it to her in the mirror.

Misao was digging through the jeans, trying to find her size. "You just… don't understand, that's all."

"Understand? Aoshi looks way more threatening the Kenshin ever could."

"Look, uh-" Misao rose up and looked Kaoru in the eyes. She then noticed Aoshi staring at her through the store window, a very serious look on his face. "Uh…. Nevermind…" She went back to searching. "Ooh! These are adorable!"

Kaoru sighed and put the shirt back. "I'm going to the food court. Catch you later."

"Sayonara," Misao said, heading towards the dressing room with the pair of jeans.

Once Kaoru left, she put down the jeans and waited for Aoshi to enter.

"You cannot tell her about the Battousai, Misao," He said, looming over her.

"I didn't, Aoshi-sama," She beamed at him. "-but, shouldn't she know? After all, she was-"

"It's not important now. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"You mean when we come to it."

"…"

"Okay, nevermind…"

"I'm going to my store. Don't wait up."

"Uh… okay…" Misao said, blushing and smiling at him. "Goodbye, Aoshi-sama!"

"…" He left.

"Ohhh… He's so WONDERFUL!" She cried, everyone in the store staring at her.

-

Kenshin sat at the food court, slurping on a smoothie boredly while Sano and Yahiko went from food stand to food stand, trying to decide what they wanted. Megumi had disappeared awhile ago when she found a store she adored, and they had yet to catch sight of her.

"Yay, I have friends…" Kenshin said flatly. "-and they're all morons…"

"Hey… Himura…"

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up. A man in a business suit stood before him, his brown hair greased back. He had a mustache and sunglasses with Japanese symbols painted on the lenses. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

"Uonuma Usui. I've heard a lot about you."

"From who?" Kenshin felt that the air had grown thin, and though the man was blind he--- "Wait a minute… You're blind! How did you know it was me?!"

"Well, I told him, Himura-san!" Someone stepped out from behind him, bearing his usual emotionless grin.

"Soujirou…" Kenshin muttered, wide-eyed.

"So, you remember me? I'm flattered, Himura-san," Soujirou said, tilting his head slightly to the left.

Kenshin got up from his chair to run, but Soujirou's dagger was at his neck before he could get away… Wait… it was… Usui's dagger? _How does he do that? _He wondered.

"Come on, Himura-san! The rest of us really want to meet you."

"Yes," Usui said. "Come along, boy. We have big plans for you…"

Kenshin had no choice. He slowly followed along in the middle of them, the dagger placed threateningly at his side, and Soujirou's ever impassive grin distracting him. _Someone save me… _

-

Kaoru had spotted Kenshin moments ago at the table she stood at, but after she had gotten through the crowd, there was no sight of him. "Kenshin?" She called, picking up his half-drunken smoothie. She looked around until her eyes met with the back of his head. She smiled, but it quickly faded when she noticed who he was walking with.

"Hey, Jou-chan!" Sano yelled, running up, grinning ear to ear. "What are you up to?"

"That's the Juppon Katana… and they've got Kenshin!" She cried.

Sano's smile was gone. He looked over at the three men quickly disappearing into the crowd. "Damn…" He whispered. "Let's go!" He went running after him, Kaoru at his heels.

Yahiko came over to the table and set all of the food down. "Hey, where'd they go? Damn, they ditched me again! I knew I didn't have any real friends!!!" He sat down at the table and glared at the two cheeseburgers and fries.

"E-excuse me… You aren't going to eat all of that, are you?"

Yahiko looked up and blushed. "Tsu… Tsubame…"

"You must be really hungry…"

"Uh-no! NO! A hah! I was saving it for someone… anyone… who might pass by! You want it?"

"Oh… um… thank you…" She blushed and sat down.

_Oh, yeah! SCORE!!! _Yahiko smiled. "So, uh--- the big dance is coming up soon… Going with anyone?"

-

Kenshin kept looking around for an opportunity to run, but it seemed that Soujirou and this new man, Usui, could find them before he could. _I wish I had a weapon right now… but even if I did, I couldn't use it, or innocent people might be harmed, de gozaru yo… Oro… What do I do? What do I do?_

"We're all meeting at our favorite place, Himura-san. I'm sure you'll like it too," Soujirou said.

"Tell me something, Soujirou," Kenshin said seriously.

"Hm?" Soujirou beamed blankly at him.

"What do you want with me?" he growled, glaring at him through his glasses.

"You're a silly rurouni, Himura-san. You should know the answer to that," Soujirou giggled slightly, making Kenshin wince slightly in horror of what could happen.

"I don't."

"He really is as clueless as Chou says," Usui said.

"-but, didn't he have any memories flash through his mind? I mean, he has almost gone Battousai on several occasions." Soujirou never stopped smiling.

"Well, find out."

"Well, then we'd have to carry him."

"Go for it."

"Okay!" Soujirou grabbed Kenshin's shoulder and forced him to look into his eyes. "Hey, Himura-san… _Do you believe… in reincarnation_?"

Kenshin's eyes widened, and his mind began sending flashes of memories that weren't his own, flowing into his head. He could feel himself falling, falling… and then everything went black.


	15. Juppon Katana

Chapter 15: Juppon Katana

"I lost him!" Sano yelled. "Do you see them?"

"NO!" Kaoru cried. "What was he doing with them?" She walked around hopelessly. "KENSHIN!"

"How could I have lost him!? I'm such an idiot! Man… You can't leave that guy alone for a second!"

"What are they going to do to him?"

"Last time, Kenshin said he thought that they were going to kill him."

"WHAT?!"

"N-no! Th-that's not what I meant!" Sano tried reassuring her, but Kaoru was running through the mall in desperate search for him.

Aoshi exited the goth store with a bag in his hand when Kaoru passed him. He caught her shoulder, stopping her. "…"

"Kenshin's been kidnapped by the Juppon Katana!" She cried.

Aoshi's eyes widened. "I know where they are taking him."

"Please, we have to help him! No one is safe with those people!"

"…"

Sano caught up to them. "I'm coming with you."

"It is dangerous."

"I can take it!" Kaoru and Sano yelled.

"I will fetch Misao. Go and enter the car."

"Right," They said.

"Sano," Kaoru said. "What about Megumi-san?"

"Aw, she'll be fine. She's got her own car."

"O…kay…" She said hesitantly and ran off, Sano at her heels.

_Damn. _Aoshi turned and headed towards Misao's favorite store.

-

_Shinta… That name is too soft for a warrior. From now on your name is… Kenshin._

Kenshin opened his eyes slightly, staring up at a ceiling that was far, far above him with many balconies incasing the sides.

"Welcome back, Himura-san!" Soujirou said, leaning over him.

Kenshin screamed and rose up, panting greatly. His eyes traveled the room at all of the strange people. Soujirou laughed at him, squatting down so that he was at eye level with him.

"Where am I?" He asked seriously, a glare on his face.

"I told you earlier, didn't I?" Soujirou laughed, pulling a cloth from his school uniform jacket. "Here you are, Himura-san!"

Kenshin took it. "What is it for?"

"For your face. You're bleeding, you know."

Kenshin unconsciously seemed to know exactly where to place his hand. He set his fingers against his left cheek, and when he brought his hand out, it was indeed bloody. "What did you do to me…?" He stated more than questioned.

"You just started doing that after you passed out," Soujirou stood up and put his hands behind his head. "You were mumbling crazy stuff too. It was funny."

Kenshin stood up, fists clenched. "You think I would do this to myself?"

"We were afraid you would…" Soujirou looked over his shoulder at him, his blue eyes looking sly. "-after your parents were killed."

It hit Kenshin hard. He almost fell over. "How did you know that?!" He yelled, his anger flaring up inside of him.

"We knew all about it, Himura-san."

"Did you do it?! Did you, Soujirou?!"

"Hm? I only do what Shishio-sama tells me to."

"Shishio… Who is Shishio?!"

"He is our leader," A deep voice said from behind him. Kenshin turned around to face a large man with a bandana around his head and large brown circles around his eyes. "I am Anji."

Kenshin stepped back and tripped over something in the floor. He looked down as he fell to see a sword laying on the ground and was caught before he managed to hit the floor.

"You're so much cuter this way," Kamatari said, his arms around Kenshin. Kenshin gave a severely freaked out and disgusted look at him.

"O-oro?"

Resting on the top of Kamatari's head were none other than his glasses. "What is it?" He asked.

Kenshin felt along his face for a different pair of glasses, but he didn't find them. "I… I can see…"

"Well, you could always see before, Himura-san," Soujirou said, picking up the sword on the ground. "You put a scuff on the sheath of my wakizashi, but that's okay. Shishio-sama will get it fixed."

"You have a leader?" Kenshin asked, prying himself free of Kamatari, losing his white over shirt. Kamatari slipped it on immediately so he couldn't turn back to nab it.

"Mm-hm, and he's very looking forward to seeing you again, Himura-san," Soujirou said, beaming as usual.

"Seeing me… again?" Kenshin questioned.

"Yes," Soujirou nodded. "He wants you to become one of us. He's even got your name ready since Kenshin is so dull of a name."

"Name…?"

"Of course. We all have one, don't we? Ha hah!" Soujirou pointed over to the group before him. "You, of course, already know Kamatari and Chou. You met Usui earlier too. There's Henya over there," He pointed to the bat-like person in the trench coat. "-and over there is Iwanbo," His hand shifted to a fat, dumb-looking human being. "Then, there's Fuji and Saizuchi!" Soujirou pointed upwards.

Kenshin hadn't noticed him before. He was too curious with what was going on. "He's a… GIANT!" Kenshin cried.

"Only Fuji," Soujirou replied, beaming.

"This is all of you?" Kenshin asked, mortified still.

"Oh, no! You've forgotten Shishio-sama, his second-in-command, Houji, and then there's Yumi, of course, but they aren't here right now. Shishio-san is at home enjoying the peace and quiet. We'll head over there soon."

"I don't want to be a part of your group," Kenshin glared at him.

"Why? Don't you like us?" Kamatari asked, winking at him.

"What do you want me for…? Why have you yet to answer my question?!"

Silence.

"Well, of course, Himura-san. You're Hitokiri Battousai."

-

Everyone had piled into Misao's car, a blue vehicle with white, leather seats. She started the car and drove it from the parking lot out onto the street.

"To that old warehouse, right, Aoshi-sama?" Misao smiled at him, who had gotten the passenger seat.

"…" Aoshi nodded.

"Why'd they take him to a warehouse?" Sano asked, leaning forward.

"That's where they always hangout."

"How do you know that?" Kaoru asked.

"-because ninjas are good hid--mmph--" Misao's mouth was covered by Aoshi's hand.

"Ninjas? What do ninjas have to do with anything?" Sano asked.

"…"

"Oookay," He sank down in his seat slightly. "Still not much of a talker."

-

"Saitou, why'd you call me out here for?" Hiko moaned, walking onto the dirty street surrounded by fences in front of warehouses.

Saitou stood in the middle of the abandoned street smoking a cigarette. "You need to save your student."

"student--"

"Your… 'stupid apprentice'," Saitou smirked.

"I told you, I don't believe that stupid story!" Hiko yelled.

"That Hiko Seijirou from the past sounded an awful lot like you," Saitou said.

"The Juppon Katana created that site. It's all just a bunch of bull shit that they wrote up."

"Really…" Saitou raised his eyebrows in interest. "You love being ignorant to reality. You've seen that boy at work."

"It's just a coincidence."

"Really? Prove it."

"How?"

"We'll discuss it tomorrow before you teach your little gym class. Now, let's rescue him."

"Rescue him from what?"

"The Juppon Katana."


	16. The Former Realities

Chapter 16: The Former Realities

"Why do you keep calling me that!!!?!" Kenshin screamed. "I'm not Battousai! Battousai was alive in the Bakumatsu… That was over a hundred years ago! It's physically impossible."

"Come on, Himura," Chou said, smirking and putting a fist on his hip. "Don't you believe in reincarnation?"

"Reincar…. AGH!" He grabbed his head and shut his eyes.

_You're always worrying about everybody else, and you're always risking your life. You're such a jerk._

_Kaoru…_She was wearing a yellow and orange kimono, smiling at him from a bridge.

_I want to be strong so that next time I won't need any help from you! I want to be strong enough to stand up for my parents' name myself!_

_Yahiko…_He was wearing yellow and green and had a shinai around his shoulder.

_I kept holding grudges until I couldn't hold anymore... All because of the death of someone I looked up to!! If I hadn't met Kenshin I would have never figured things out. I would have been a man full of hate, who held a ton of resentment._

_Sano…_Sanosuke was dressed in a white outfit, very poor looking, and had a red scarf around his head.

_I'm just glad I was able to meet all of you and find out that there are good people in this world. I was finally happy being with you. Thank you all._

_Megumi…_She was dressed in a pink kimono with a violet apron tied over it.

_Because you've slain so many people, you don't even value your own life. That's what allows the manslayer's heart that lies deep within your true heart to take over your soul. Even if you use the power of that manslayer for a self-sacrificing purpose such as protecting those you love or the weak, it's still only one tiny pebble in the never-ending river of time. Live on, Kenshin. That way you'll be able to use the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki as you please and you'll never again lose to the manslayer within you._

_Hiko…SHISHOU!!!! _He had adorned a white cape with a red collar. _What is it? Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki…I… feel like I've seen it before…_

_I have slain many… but I will repent for all of my sins by using this sakabatou, de gozaru yo…_

_Kenshin stared down at his feet, seeing the bodies of people laying at his feet. They were bloody and cold, deceased by the cut of his own blade. He slid the blade into its sheath. **I will never… kill again… **_

Kenshin collapsed onto the floor, holding his head and screaming. Seeing the faces… all of those victims… and for some reason he knew it was he who held the blade. He could feel everything fading, but he could see the faces of his friends, the victim that cut his face, and the beautiful girl that smelled of white plum as she placed the dagger against his cheek.

-

"Let's get outta here!" Chou's voice echoed in his ears.

"Sayonara!" Soujirou laughed. "We don't want to fight right now, ha hah!"

"Kenshin…"

Kenshin didn't say anything.

"I think he's unconscious, Seijirou," Saitou's voice said.

"What'd they do to him?"

"Knowing them, who knows?"

"Damn… I hope he's not hurt too bad."

"Hito…kiri…" Kenshin whispered.

"Hm?" Hiko blinked, but Kenshin didn't say anything else.

The door slammed open.

"Kenshin! We're here to save you!" Sano yelled at the top of his lungs, giving his most heroic pose.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried.

"You're late, Sagara," Saitou smirked.

"I told you we should've driven faster!" Sano yelled at Misao.

"I wasn't about to get a ticket you stupid rooster!!!" Misao threatened. "That's why I have my license and you don't!!!"

"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried again, running to him and tenderly placing her hands on his face. "Oh… he's hurt…" She reached into her shirt and pulled out a white handkerchief. She began cleaning his face.

"Uh… uh?" He opened his eyes slightly.

"He's okay!" She smiled at him in relief.

"Kaoru-dono?" He asked lazily. The scene of his victim flashed into his mind. "AH!" He grabbed his head. "Make it stop…"

"Kenshin?" She held him close to her. "What's wrong?"

"I can't stop seeing what I'm seeing…" He muttered, leaning against her. "I'm sleepy now… so just let me… rest here…de gozaru yo…" He fell unconscious again.

"We need to get him to a doctor," Kaoru said.

"I'll drive!" Misao cheered.

"I'll stay here…" Aoshi said. "I have some business to settle with them when they get back."

"I'll stay too," Saitou said, cracking his knuckles.

"Me three!" Sano yelled triumphantly. "I'll prove to you guys that I'm the best fighter of all of you!"

"Shut up, boy, the grown-ups are talking," Saitou smirked.

"Aoshi! You're not gonna let him talk like that are you?"

"…"

"FINE!" Sano sat down on the ground. "I'll get you one of these days." Saitou took this time to laugh at him.

-

Misao had driven them to the hospital where Kenshin had been hospitalized.

Hiko stood over Kenshin, watching him jerk, toss and turn in bed while the doctor read the stats on a machine.

"He seems to of suffered some head trauma, according to the symptoms. Has anything distressing happened to him recently?" The doctor asked.

"His parents…" Hiko began, then looked at the floor. "They…"

"They were murdered…" Kaoru whispered, looking at the floor as well.

The doctor seemed taken aback by this, then realized that he needed to act professional. "I'm sorry. Now…" He wrote something down on his clipboard. "Are you his guardian?"

"You could say that," Hiko shrugged.

"Please, come with me," The doctor said.

They left the room.

Kaoru walked over and sat on the edge of Kenshin's bed. _They didn't find any wounds on his body… but why was there blood on his face…? Oh… poor Kenshin… I hope he pulls through okay. What did they do to him?!_

Kenshin opened his eyes. "K-Kaoru-dono?"

"Ah, Kenshin!" She cried in both shock and relief. "Oh, are you all right?" She put her hand on his face.

"Hai," Kenshin muttered, raising up, his sheet falling down along his waist.

"What happened, Kenshin?" She asked, setting her hand into her lap.

"To tell you the truth… I don't remember, de gozaru yo… All of these things…rushing through my head…" Kenshin put his palm to his face.

"Kenshin… The doctor said you suffered slight head trauma…"

"Kaoru-dono…The things that went through my head… I felt like I'd seen them before, even though I never… I never would do it… I'd never live like that… It… I…"

"What did you… see?"

"Murder…"

She gasped.

"They all died… by my own hand… I was… a samurai or something…"

"A samurai? The samurai were banished over a hundred years ago, Kenshin," Kaoru said.

"Yeah, I know… It was almost as if it was… a memory from a past I didn't live, de gozaru yo…"

Kaoru stared at him worriedly.

"Oh! I must sound crazy, de gozaru yo," Kenshin smiled timidly and laughed.

"N-no!" Kaoru cried, waving her hands in defense. "I… I think we all have dreams like that."

"Have you, Kaoru-dono?"

"Believe it or not, yeah!" She put her hand behind her head and giggled.

"Well, I think that something isn't right about my dream… I was awake… when it started… I heard voices, and… -and I saw all of you in strange clothing…"

"You mean me and…"

"Sano, Yahiko, Megumi-san, shishou…"

"Shishou?"

"Oro?"

"Who's shishou?"

"I didn't say that. I said Hiko-san."

"No, you called him--- Maybe there is something wrong with you…"

"Maybe…" Kenshin looked down at his lap. "Kaoru-dono… Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Hm? I suppose. Not many know what to believe, you know?" Kaoru smiled at him. "Do you?"

"…" Kenshin nodded slowly.

"Ken-"

The door swung open. Hiko and the doctor came in discussing something when they realized that not two, but four eyes were staring at them.

"Hello," Kenshin waved, smiling nervously.

"You're awake?!" The doctor cried.

"Hai," Kenshin nodded. "-and I'd really like to go to the bathroom if you could tell me its location, de gozaru yo."

"I don't believe it…" Hiko said, stunned.

"It's over there," The doctor said, pointing to another door nearby.

"Yeah, but you might not want to get out of bed yet, kid," Hiko said.

"Oro? Why not?" Kenshin asked, blinking innocently.

"Well… because you're naked, and there's a lady in the room."

"Deh!" Kenshin's eyes bulged out, and his ponytail stood straight up on end.


	17. Discoveries and the Sakabatou

Chapter 17: Discoveries and the Sakabatou

"The craziest things have been happening to me," Kenshin said as he stood in the shower back at Hiko's home, washing the shampoo from his hair.

"Mm-mm," Hiko said, brushing his teeth.

"Hey, Hiko-san… I… just realized something…"

Hiko spit in the sink. "What?"

"I… I can see… without my glasses."

"Hm?" Hiko's eyes widened. "How'd you get perfect vision?"

"I don't know," Kenshin said, the water shutting off and a hand emerging from the curtain and grabbing a towel.

"You know… Kaoru was really worried about you, Hiko said.

"Yeah…" Kenshin said, thanking the curtain silently for covering his red face. "She barely knows me though… I just… well, I guess I never understood the female race, de gozaru yo." He began drying his hair with his towel.

"You don't have to understand them. You just have to accept them," Hiko said.

"Is that hard?"

"Depends."

"Oro."

"You're catching my drift, aren't you."

"Oroooooooo….." Kenshin stepped back slightly in the bathtub when his foot met with the soap bar. "ORO!" He slipped and landed on his back in the tub. "DAMMIT!"

"Ouch," Hiko raised an eyebrow, chuckling slightly. "Clumsy bastard."

"Leave me alone," Kenshin pulled back the curtains and hung over the edge of the tub, towel around his waist, rubbing his back.

"I'm headed downstairs," Hiko said. "If you aren't there in ten minutes, I'm leaving without you."

"Yes, shishou…"

"Are you mocking my authority?"

"Hai, shishou," Kenshin said cheerlessly.

"Baka apprentice," Hiko glared at him.

"Oh, that shattered my self-esteem," Kenshin said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I don't think I will ever recover, de gozaru yo."

Hiko rolled his eyes. "You know, I could always let you sleep outside."

Kenshin went silent, then smiled nervously at him.

"Tch. Teenagers…" Hiko walked away.

Kenshin crawled out of the bathtub and put on his boxers and uniform. He combed his hair quickly, using the hair dryer, then pulled it back as he always did.

"There," Kenshin said in satisfaction, placing toothpaste upon his own toothbrush. "Well… it seems my life quickly turns itself around… de gozaru yo…" He put it in his mouth and brushed fiercely, trying to keep his mind off of things.

_My whole life… It feels like a rerun, de gozaru yo…I mean… have I lived… before? I can't seem to get this question out of my head, and since all of these strange and horrible things have been happening… I… I don't know what to answer the question with, de gozaru yo. Oro… It makes my head hurt just thinking about it… I wonder… If I… _His eyes widened. He spit out his toothpaste and wiped his mouth, turning on the sink to wash the toothpaste down the drain.

He ran into his room and looked up above his bed. "Where is… my sakabatou?" He asked, eyes wide. "That doesn't make any sense, de gozaru yo." He slipped his socks on. "I'll look for it this afternoon, de gozaru yo. I better get downstairs."

-

Kenshin headed towards his Japanese History class. He was staring at his feet with a vexed look upon his face. Everyone kept asking him questions… questions that he didn't know the answer to. They all wondered 'what happened' and 'are you okay'. He wasn't sure about either. All he knew was that the Juppon Katana had not shown up that day. It worried him. Perhaps they were plotting something.

_They… call me Battousai… but… _Kenshin gasped. _Those nightmares… were they… **BATTOUSAI**? _His breath caught in his throat. _No… there's no way that I could have been… _He looked around and then turned on his heel and headed towards the library, his class forgotten. _I have to read up on this more… Something is going on… _

-

Kenshin looked along the shelves for books on the Battousai. He preferred books for if he didn't find what he needed immediately, he could take it with him. He had no computer at Hiko's home.

Kenshin was in awe as his fingers traced the spine of each book, searching for something, anything. He pulled three books off of the shelf and sat down in the corner, flipping through them to find anything on Battousai. Nothing.

"Damn," He muttered under his breath so the non-observant librarian couldn't hear. He returned the books then continued along the shelf. He pulled out a book from the shelf labeled simply **Samurai.**

He read through it, entranced in anything he could find. "Shinsengumi… Hajime Saitou?!" He said aloud, his eyes tracing the words as he continued to flip the pages. His breath was getting heavier. He kept finding names that he swore he had heard before. Hajime Saitou, of course, was an example.

He continued flipping pages. "There's nothing here… on Battousai either…" He put it back. He stood up and headed towards the computer, giving up on the books.

Kenshin searched through website after website, finding only slight mentioning of the name 'Battousai'. "There's got to be some other way to search him…" He looked up at the search bar. His eyes looked down at the mouse, watching his hand click it, then his hands type something into the bar.

He looked up.

Himura Kenshin.

-

_Where is that little shit?! _Hiko thought angrily, stomping down the hall once he had finished teaching. _Where is Kenshin?! _He looked into each classroom for any sign of the red-head and couldn't see him.

"Aren't you on another hall, Hiko?" Saitou asked, emerging from his classroom, glaring at Hiko.

"Kenshin didn't come to my class," He said, glaring back at him. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," Saitou said, smoking on his cigarette. "-but he'd better be in that gymnasium. I don't want to look like an idiot being in there."

"I know," Hiko said flatly. "I've got a few more places to check."

"You've got ten minutes before your class lets out."

"I know," Hiko muttered. "I should find him by then."

-

Kenshin came across a website, one with names of… all of his friends. He had become so entranced in every article that he printed them out, sat in the corner, and read them over and over and over.

"Hiko Seijirou was the one who taught Himura Kenshin the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu… Kamiya Kaoru was assistant master of Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, Myojin Yahiko her student… Sagara Sanosuke, or Zanza the fighter-for-hire, mastered in futae no kiwami and could swing a Zanbatou. Takani Megumi was a woman doctor from a long line of doctors that disappeared in the revolution…" Each article was amazing.

"Hajime Saitou was the leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi…."

Every word brought back a memory that flashed through his mind.

"Himura Kenshin…" He paused at the article. His eyes slowly read across the words. "…hitokiri… Battousai…"

"Himura!"

Kenshin looked up and met eyes with Hiko who looked all but happy to see him.

"Sh-shishou…" Kenshin muttered, wide-eyed.

Hiko grabbed Kenshin by the shoulder of his uniform and lifted him up. "Why the hell are you skipping my class?" He asked, his voice dripping with ire.

"I… I forgot…" Kenshin muttered, horrified at Hiko's face.

"Forgot… You forgot to come to class so you went to the damn library?" Hiko didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. Kenshin was more afraid of him this way than ever.

"I had a thought…" Kenshin said. "I-I lost control of my body you could say, de gozaru yo." Kenshin figured that his grave was being dug deeper and deeper. There was no way he was getting out of this one. "I just… I just…" Kenshin looked at the floor and bowed. "Forgive me…"

"Forgive you… Apology not accepted… and don't do it again. Only bad kids skip class. Even Sagara shows up, and he knows he's going to fail. You trying to follow the Juppon Katana or something?"

"No," Kenshin answered immediately, his voice drenched in calmed vehemence. Hiko was stunned. Kenshin's answer, simple as it was, sent shivers down his spine.

"You have another class to get to," Hiko said, regaining his composure. "I'll see you there, and I've got punishment for you.

Kenshin glared, narrow-eyed at Hiko's back. "Yes, sir."

Hiko left, watching him out of the corner of his eye. _Hajime, I sure hope you know what you're doing. _

-

Kenshin felt ashamed of himself as he entered the gym. He had thought about it a little, and he realized that he had been very foolish and unfair. Needless to say though, he had stashed the papers in his backpack.

"All of that… it must be someone's made-up joke… I mean, now that I've looked it over, I realize the site was even on the school's server… There's no way it's true… Just useless, stupid stuff, de gozaru yo… Then… why do I feel so strange?"

"Hey, Kenshin! Where were you in J.P?" Sano yelled from the bleachers.

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up. "Oh… I was being stupid…" Kenshin set his bag down. "Aren't we supposed to change now?" Kenshin asked.

"Nah, Hiko-san said that we don't need to. We're not doing anything."

"We aren't?"

"You are," Hiko's voice boomed suddenly from behind him.

"I am…?" Kenshin looked over his shoulder at him, a nervous look on his face.

"Yep, kendo club practice."

"-but you said that I'll be the only one… I won't have anyone to spar with."

"I've arranged that."

"Who am I battling?"

"Him." Hiko pointed over his shoulder.

Kenshin's eyes widened.

"Haaa---Hajime-san…" Kenshin felt faint.

"THAT'S CRAZY!" Sano yelled defensively. "We all know that Saitou-san has been fighting since he was little! He's a master swordsman!"

"Oro…" Kenshin sat down on the floor. He felt like his heart was about to bounce out of his chest.

"You can't do that, Hiko-san!" Kaoru yelled. Kenshin realized that she had been in there with the cheerleaders now.

"I can do whatever I want."

Kenshin looked up at him fearfully. "-but… where are the boken…." Kenshin was hoping that Hiko would leave to get them so he could run for it.

"You won't be using a boken."

"Shinai?"

Saitou tossed him something.

"This is…"

"Your sakabatou. I got it from home," Hiko said. "You'll be using that."

"Oro?! -but… It's a real…"

Saitou had slid a katana into his belt as he spoke. "Just fight, Himura," He said, his cold, golden, fearless eyes gleaming at him. Kenshin looked down at his hands at the sakabatou.

_Now is my chance… to see for myself… if what that paper says is true. _Kenshin stood up.

"Don't do it, Kenshin!" Sano cried.

Kenshin tied the sheath to his belt loop.

"Psycho!" Sano yelled.

"Let me be, Sanosuke," Kenshin muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I don't have much choice in the matter, de gozaru yo."

"Stupid…" Sano sat down, looking worriedly at his feet.

"Ken… shin…" Kaoru muttered, holding her pom-poms up to her face.

_Oh, man… _Misao backed up and sneaked away from the group, going behind the bleachers and withdrawing a cell phone. "Aoshi-sama," She whispered into it.

"What?" It stated in Aoshi's emotionless voice.

"Get over to the gym NOW."

"Why."

"The Battousai and the Wolf of Mibu… they're going to fight!"

Aoshi hung up without another word.

_Does Kenshin even know what he's getting into? _Misao wondered, peaking around the bleachers. _Himura the Battousai fought Hajime Saitou of the Shinsengumi all those years ago… Will he emerge once again? Aoshi… hurry up and get down here. We need you to butt in on this! Put that Oniwaban-shu ability to use!! Hey… I'm part of the Oniwaban-shu too. I'll have to hold them off till he gets here. You can do it Misao… I need to. If Battousai is unleashed…_


	18. Conditions of the Spirit

Chapter 18: Conditions of the Spirit

Kenshin was mortified inside, but any proof of that fear, and he would've been laughed out of the place. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, drying to dispose of his worry, but in turn only making it worse. _Come on, Himura… Put some faith in it… _

"-and… BEGIN!" Hiko yelled.

Kenshin's eyes widened. He didn't even get the chance to draw before Saitou ran at him.

"Ah-" Kenshin dodged it beautifully, removing his sakabatou from his sheath. "I don't think so…"

Saitou brought his blade down at Kenshin, but Kenshin blocked it with his own blade. "You're persistent… much more than you used to be."

"You hardly know me!" Kenshin broke Saitou's attack and jumped back on the mat. Saitou smirked and raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

_So… He still won't give into the fact that he's reincarnated. You'd think that if he remembered anything, he know that it's true. _

Kenshin stared him down. _I've got to do something, de gozaru yo! -but… I don't know swordsmanship… Or at least… I don't remember it… _He shut his eyes for a moment. _I have to think… THAT'S IT!_

He opened his eyes again and saw Saitou preparing an attack, a dangerous looking one. He gulped. "Do I… believe… in reincarnation?" He asked himself.

The memories came flooding into his head. His eyes widened. He could only see patches of reality and memory, and they were… almost identical… Suddenly, he was seeing himself battling Saitou when he hadn't even begun.

The gymnasium became dead silent, Kenshin's eyes shadowed out by his bangs. "So… we've fought before… have we Saitou?…" Kenshin's voice was dangerously casual.

"Misao," Aoshi greeted firmly, running in. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Kenshin. "Do you sense that?"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"I had to run here." Aoshi glared at her.

"Why are you wearing a trench coat?"

Saitou stayed in stance. "Himura…" He muttered. "Himura Kenshin."

"Wrong…" Kenshin muttered.

An image entered his head of his parents, bloody and dead.

"Very… wrong…" He mumbled.

He could see death around him, and then the mysterious girl in the white kimono… Tomoe… He knew who it was…

"If I'm wrong, then who are you?"

"I am… Himura…" He stepped forward, lifting his blade in the air. "I am HIMURA THE BATTOUSAI!" He yelled, his eyes still violet, but narrow and scary.

Everyone gasped.

Saitou merely laughed. "Not even close," He said, standing normally. "Are you trying to scare me, Himura--"

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu… RYU TSUI SEN!" Kenshin came at him from above, slamming his sakabatou blade down on Saitou's shoulder. "Off guard…"

"Touché, Himura, I'm impressed," Saitou said, holding his shoulder as Kenshin jumped back.

Kenshin smirked.

"-but you flawed."

"oro?"

"You didn't keep attacking!" Saitou swung his blade down on the mat, and the floor seemed to erupt. Kenshin flew backwards into the bleachers.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru cried.

Kenshin rose up, and his face bled, his jacket destroyed.

"Well, now…" Saitou said. "It appears you yet again have that cross-shaped scar, Himura."

Kenshin tossed the remains of his jacket away, now only in his pants and a white t-shirt that was already staining at the top from the blood dripping down his face.

"You caught me off guard that time, Saitou," Kenshin said. "Not bad." He clambered out of the mangled bleachers, almost unscathed, and stepped onto the now ripped padding.

"Next time, I'll make sure you don't get up for awhile," Saitou said, his eyes narrowing.

"You won't get the chance for a next time," Kenshin said, his face unchanging, as if he had become a puppet, void of emotions, only powered by will to fight.

"Really now," Saitou seemed interested in his offer. "We'll see. You haven't even glimpsed at my Gatotsu style… well, not since… was it 1879? I'm not sure…" He couldn't quit sneering, and it seemed that it was angering Kenshin.

"This has to stop before it gets out of hand," Misao said, clutching her heart.

"You're right," Aoshi said, reaching into the back of his trench coat.

Misao gasped. "The kodachi!"

"Indeed," Aoshi said, holding out his weapon. "They say that there is nothing like the direct approach."

_This is getting worse… _Misao thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Kenshin and Saitou had commenced to fighting. To the untrained eye, it looked as though Saitou was winning by his years of experience, but Aoshi and Misao could both see that Kenshin was slowly gaining strength over time, not losing it.

Saitou's sword clashed against Kenshin's. Kenshin pushed Saitou off, then turned around and blocked the surprise attack by Aoshi.

"What are you doing here?" Saitou questioned.

"Himura," Aoshi said darkly, "I will knock you out."

"Try me…" Kenshin muttered. Aoshi's eyes widened. He could see gold at the rims of the boy's eyes.

_I'd better get this done quickly. Then, once he wakes up, I'll explain it all to him._

"Ken… shin…." Kaoru muttered.

"Kenshin…" Sano whispered, his fists clenching.

"Kenshin," Hiko's eyes narrowed.

"Now," Aoshi and Saitou both said, holding their blades up the middle of their faces (split screen! ;). "Let's begin!" They attacked.

Kenshin jumped back. "You two should fight each other…" Kenshin said as Saitou's and Aoshi's blades collided.

"Saitou," Aoshi muttered. "Look at his eyes."

Saitou glanced in Kenshin's direction.

"Finally…" He smirked. "It's about to get interesting."

"What?!" Aoshi cried.

Saitou broke their attack and went for Kenshin from the right. Aoshi headed towards the left. Kenshin's eyes switched views, looking at Saitou, then Aoshi, Saitou, Aoshi, then straight ahead.

"Two against one… Now… that's not fair, is it," Kenshin lifted his blade. "HAH!" He slammed it on the ground and sent shockwaves in both Saitou and Aoshi's direction. They both flew backwards.

The gym door flew open. "I can feel something… something really familiar in here," Yahiko muttered, walking in slowly. He gasped as he saw the battle taking place. Megumi ran in behind him.

"Ken-san!" She exclaimed.

"Megumi-san! You felt it too?" Yahiko asked.

"Of course," She nodded.

Kaoru and Sano could feel it too. They weren't sure what it was at first, but it seemed there were flashes in front of their eyes every few seconds or so, flashes of samurai and battle and all sorts of things like that. It was too fast to comprehend at first, though they were aware that it was taking place, and soon enough, Yahiko and Megumi were seeing it too.

_You still don't know?_

The four of them gasped.

_A fight isn't just determined by the body. It largely depends on the condition of the spirit._

The visions began to flow, as if a scene from a movie, and they could all see it.

_These four are now fighting to lend me their strength. Their own fights unfolded according to the strongest feelings held deep in their hearts. _

Sano's eyes widened.

_Justice. _

Yahiko's eyes widened.

_Faith._

Megumi's eyes widened.

_Living._

Kaoru's eyes widened.

_The future…_

Everyone took a deep breath.

_Even with the names of divine beasts, those who fight for their own pleasure could never defeat them._

Kaoru could see Kenshin saying something, putting his arms around her and walking away. Sano could see himself battling him and being enlightened, but not knowing by what. Yahiko could see Kenshin sitting by the river with him, telling him something to make him finally understand, but he couldn't hear his voice. Megumi could see Kenshin standing in the doorway, telling her something that was changing her mind, but she didn't know what it was about.

_I'll say it again. Those here with me have my complete trust. They're my friends._


	19. Recollection

Chapter 19: Recollection

Kenshin stood, waiting for Aoshi and/or Saitou to rise, a bored look on his face. They both rose simultaneously.

"It's about time," Kenshin muttered, his eyes narrowing even more. His fear had vanished, now replaced with an anger that he could not quite understand. He didn't like that fact that he was being ambushed, two-against-one, and fighting for no reason at all. It was impossible for Hiko to plan this in that short amount of time, and now Kenshin had concluded that he had planned this long before he skipped class to sit in the library for awhile.

Kenshin wasn't sure if that was what angered him… It just didn't feel like that… but then it hit him like- a blade in the back.

Kenshin collapsed onto the mat, Aoshi glaring down at him. "Sleep, Himura," He muttered.

_I'm not angry… for being tricked…_He said to himself, staring at Saitou's feet a distance away, eye level with the mat. _I am angry… because I'm not strong enough… I can't help… anyone… They're all… helping me… and I HATE THAT!_

"YAAAAAAAH!" Kenshin rose up on his knees and let out a scream that chilled everyone. His ponytail-holder snapped, sending his red hair flying out along with the blood from his few wounds and the non-wound that bled upon his face.

Saitou smirked, but Aoshi looked none-to-happy about what was taking place.

Kenshin silenced and stood, head down, but the chill in the air remained.

"K-Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered.

"I'm not strong enough…" Kenshin whispered. He clutched his sakabatou tighter. "I'll never be… strong enough… with this sakabatou…"

Aoshi prepared his kodachi for an attack, his right eye twitching slightly.

"Everyone… who saves my life… must bloody their hands to be powerful…" He muttered, placing his thumb against the blade. "I've been saved by killers… and that pisses me off."

"What is he talking about, Hiko-san!" Sano yelled. "You've never killed anyone!"

Hiko glanced at Sano from over his shoulder. "Quiet, boy…"

"-but, Hiko-san-"

"Did I not tell you to be quiet?" He didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to. It was scary enough, possibly more frightening in that soft, deep whisper, emerging right from the edge of his throat.

Sano's legs were shaking. _This energy… It's maddening…I'm seeing things again! AGH! _He took hold of his head and sat back down.

"We've angered you, have we, Himura?" Saitou said with poise.

"No, Saitou…" Kenshin muttered. "Just you…"

He flipped the blade.

-

"I win. Give me your Oreos, Chou," Soujirou said gleefully, holding out his royal flush.

"Damn," Chou muttered, shoving his cookies in Soujirou's direction.

"That's the fifth game you've won in a row, Soujirou," Kamatari giggled. "I think I'll quit now."

"I guess I'm just talented. I mean, Chou cheated three out of five of those games, and he still lost."

"How did you-"

"My eyes have been trained well, my friend," Soujirou said, his voice as sly as his eyes.

"Rrrr…. Hmph," Chou crossed his arms and looked off in another direction.

Soujirou giggled and began helping himself to his newly won cookies (after all, they had no money to play with), when he paused.

"What now?" Chou growled. "My Oreos not good enough for you?"

"It's happening," He said, eyes lit with passion, a smile tugging at his lips. "Can you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Kamatari asked.

"Battousai's fighting spirit…" Soujirou said, his voice quivering with excitement. "I never got to feel it like this… It's so amazing… Wow…"

"Battousai's fighting spirit!" It seemed everyone spoke up at that point.

-

"Himura, you baka," Aoshi growled, a worried look upon his face. _Damn…_

"Really now, Aoshi…" Kenshin said, lifting up the blade to his face. "Shinomori… Aoshi… leader of the Oniwaban-shu…"

Misao gasped loudly. _He knows… He remembers… but why doesn't he remember his vow not to kill! _

"Hajime Saitou… Leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi…"

Saitou's eyes twitched slightly.

"-and then… there's me…" He lifted up his head. His bangs had left a great deal of shadow upon his face, but one thing was perfectly visible…

Bright, golden, gleaming eyes.

Everyone gasped.

"Bat…tou…sai…" Aoshi whispered.

Saitou grinned.

"You fool!" Misao yelled at Saitou.

Saitou looked over his shoulder, not at her, but at Hiko. "Do you remember yet, Seijirou?"

Hiko's eyes widened, and suddenly a strange wave of shadow seemed to wash over him. He suddenly wasn't seeing the original scene before him, but instead witnessing another sight as if he were a ghost, spying on the two in the scene.

A small boy dressed in gi and hakama stood, surrounded by wooden crosses. His red hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and shone in the light of the setting sun. His amethyst eyes stared down upon the three rocks in front of him, and he spoke, but Hiko could not hear his words.

His sights focused to that of the other man, making him freeze and his mouth fall open. The man behind the boy stood tall, looming over the child in his white cape with a ridiculously large red collar. His long, raven-colored hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, but some of it fell in front of his ears. His narrow, brown eyes were stern with emotions hidden so deep that it seemed that no one could penetrate them. He dressed also in gi and hakama (under the cape), and he wore large shoes and carried a sake bottle.

"That's… me!" Hiko cried, but his voice was a mere echo on the distant air.

"_Shinta… That name is too soft for a warrior. From now on your name is Kenshin," _The other Hiko said.

"Kenshin!" Hiko exclaimed. "That little twerp is Kenshin!"

_"Ken…shin…"_ The little boy whispered.

"Wait… I… I feel like I've seen this before… Well, apparently I have… 'CAUSE THAT'S ME, DAMMIT!… Okay, I need to calm down… Maybe he's just a fan… Woah… Now that's a creepy thought… A fan of a teacher?… Nah, I don't think that's what is taking place… I mean, this is something I feel has happened to me before. The more I sit here, the more vivid it becomes… Wasn't I just in the gym? Kenshin had-just-"

Suddenly, the image before him was not that of the child and the man, but that of a adolescent, but not of one he would normally witness….for this boy was murdering. This boy was…

"Battousai," Hiko whispered, and suddenly, he was back in the gym.

"So, he does…" Saitou muttered, preparing his blade for Aku-Zoku-San.

Kenshin slipped his blade back into the sheath, preparing in his stance. "All together now, or one-on-one?"

"You must be stopped, Battousai, at any cost, and I will not hesitate to kill you," Aoshi said sternly.

"Eh! Hey, Aoshi-sama, that wasn't part of the plan!" Misao yelled.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru cried.

"EVERYBODY'S PSYCHO!" Sano yelled.

"I, Myojin Yahiko, can't let this happen!" Yahiko whipped a shinai off of the wall.

"Don't be stupid!" Megumi grabbed the back of Yahiko's shirt, lifting him off the floor.

"Hey! L-let go' a me!" Yahiko struggled to free himself, failing miserably to bask in his own humiliation.

"Allow me to assist you," Saitou said. "If you live, tell me how painful my Aku-Zoku-San is."

"They say the weakest wolf barks the loudest, Saitou-san," Kenshin smirked.

"You follow the saying that ignorance is bliss, don't you?" Saitou grinned wolfishly back at him.

Hiko looked around. _I gotta do something… but what? _His eyes met with his newly repaired blade sitting neatly against the wall, as if by fate. _Hmm…_

Saitou and Aoshi prepared for their attack. Hiko rushed up and grabbed his blade.

The sound of blades clashed.

Kenshin looked up, and inches above his head, three blades met.

"You're getting in the way," Kenshin growled.

"Time to go to sleep, baka apprentice," Hiko said, bringing his sheath up and hitting Kenshin on the back of the neck with it.

"Ah!" He cried, his eyes fading to purple, and then to a lavender-gray as he fell to the floor.

Kaoru, Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi all stared at him.

"I think I'm losing my mind…" Kaoru whispered.

"AOSHI-SAMA!" Misao yelled, running to him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Aoshi said, void of emotion as usual.

"So you see," Saitou said, sheathing his blade. "My job has been done. See you later." He walked off.

"Yeah… I do…" Hiko whispered, picking up Kenshin. "I think…"


	20. Insomnia, Drinks, and Phonecalls

Chapter 20: Insomnia, Drinks, and Phonecalls

Kenshin woke up a little while later, thankful to of missed Saitou's class. He went home after school with Hiko, and neither of them said a word to each other.

By midnight, they were both laying in bed, wide awake.

Kenshin lay alone, staring at the ceiling. _I can't believe I lost my sense of logic today… What was I thinking? I'm going-_

_Crazy! All of this is nuts! _Hiko wondered in the same position in his bedroom. _Since when could an innocent and stupid teenager become-_

_Battousai? Am I really the Battousai? Why is this happening to me? I can't-_

_Handle this. I don't understand why that kid brought back those memories that-_

_Can't possibly be mine. There's no way I could be. It's not-_

_Possibly they were true… No! I need to stop-_

_Thinking like this. Okay-_

_I'll just-_

_Go discuss this-_

_With him-_

_Right._

_Okay._

_I'm ready!_ They both rose up. "I hope…" They both said at the same time.

-

Kenshin rushed down the stairs, and Hiko flung open his bedroom door, meeting Kenshin's eyes immediately.

"Uh-" Kenshin said.

"Wh-what're you doing up?" Hiko asked casually.

"I couldn't sleep, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said, stepping down the final step.

"Care to explain what went on this afternoon?"

"No."

"That was blunt."

"Well… I can't- I just want to get some sleep!" Kenshin moaned.

"Yeah… me too… I haven't slept comfortably tonight either… Hey, tell you what, I got a plan.

-

Kenshin slurred out a laugh as he lay on the living room carpet in his pajamas, a wide grin on his face almost as large as the blush across his nose.

"Jeez, kid, you can drink a-a lot," Hiko said, holding his sake glass up to his lips. There was a small tint to his face as well.

"Y'know… um… uhhhhh…. Ummmmmmmmm…. Oh, yeah… wait… Oh, yeah, y'know… If people re-re- noticed that I was th' Ba- Battousai, I'd prob'ly get lef' alone a lot more, y'know? Not that I wanna BE Ba-Battousai, it's jus' somethin' laid on me 'cause 'a' my past life, y'know. I jus' dunno why th' past won't lea' me alone now, de gozaru y'know." He then giggled stupidly as if it was a joke. "Yer th' best, Shishou."

Hiko stared at the kid for a second, taking in what he had said. _So… it is true…_He then took a long swig out of the bottle.

"Heeeey, pass some 'a' that over here, Shis-Shi- sir," Kenshin laughed again, snatching the bottle from Hiko and tilting it towards his face, letting the sake fall all over him, considering that he was laying down.

Hiko looked down at the floor. _This is crazy…_

"Hey…"

"What?" Hiko asked.

"Y'know what would make this even better?"

"Humor me, Himura," Hiko smirked, glad to be changing the subject.

"Women."

"Smarter than y' look, Himura," Hiko picked up another bottle that had somehow become half empty when he wasn't looking. "Which woman would you want."

"Kaaaoru-dono."

"Really, now?" Hiko began drinking out of the bottle.

"I dun' care what anyone says… Kaoru-d-dono is th' real fox 'round here."

"More like tanuki," Hiko smirked, thinking of Yahiko.

"Hey! Leave my woman 'lone!"

Hiko laughed, and Kenshin soon joined in too.

-

Kenshin felt a burning sensation on his eyelids. "Uh…" He opened his eyes, then suddenly shut them tight, crying out and rolling onto his side.

Hiko's laughing echoed through his ears, louder and more booming than usual.

"Oh…" He muttered, risking opening his eyes again. "My head…"

"This is your first hangover?" Hiko asked, dropping an egg yolk into a glass.

"Not… so loud," Kenshin put his hand to his forehead and felt around for something to help him up.

"You're pathetic," Hiko said, pouring other strange concoctions into the glass. Kenshin's blurry eyes couldn't read the label.

"I think I'm gonna… vomit…"

"Don't do it on the carpet. It's difficult to clean, you know," Hiko said, leaning over with a glass of a strange, chunky, maroon liquid in his hand. "Here, drink this."

"What's in it?" Kenshin asked, sitting up and taking it.

"If you have to ask… You don't wanna know," Hiko said sitting up straight.

Kenshin placed the glass to his lips and took a small sip. "OH, GOD!" He began spitting it back into his hand, coughing and gagging. "That shit's a-awful! AWFUL, de gozaru yo!"

"Yeah, but you don't have a headache anymore."

Kenshin looked up at him. "Now, I'm sick to my stomach."

Hiko took the glass from him and drank it all.

"Eeeewww… Why'd you do that?"

"-because, I drink a whole lot, and that's 'bad' or so says some people. I figure, if I do the crime, I do the time."

Kenshin got to his feet and stumbled into the kitchen, looking for something to clean his mouth out with. "How much did I drink last night?"

"More than me," Hiko said, smirking. "New record, but then, I didn't pass out after talking about sex-"

"WHAT!" Kenshin cried, his whole face becoming blood red.

"Well, that's the subject you were on," Hiko shrugged. "It's amazing what teenagers know these days…"

Kenshin pulled a box of cereal from the pantry and lazily placed it on the kitchen table. "Sweet mercy… What did I do to deserve this?" He moaned, fumbling around for a bowl and spoon. "You do have milk, don't you?"

"I dunno, you bought the groceries," Hiko said, shrugging.

"Whatever," Kenshin said, pulling a half-gallon of milk from the fridge and carrying it over to the table with the bowl in his other hand and the spoon behind his ear.

Hiko preceded on washing the sake bottles in the sink as Kenshin ate in silence.

The phone rang.

"I'll get it," Kenshin said, walking into the living room and picking up the receiver. "Hello," He said half-heartedly.

"Ke-Kenshin?"

"K-Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin felt his face warming again.

"Um… hi…"

"Wh-wh-what's up?"

"I was… worried about you… You… You weren't yourself yesterday… and I was afraid…" Her voice was troubled, and it made Kenshin feel uneasy.

"I… wasn't myself… yesterday…"

"Are you okay?"

_Well, I got piss drunk last night and woke up with a hangover the size of Alaska, but…_ "Yes, I'm fine, de gozaru yo."

"I just thought I'd make sure… If you didn't answer, I was gonna come over to see for myself."

"Oro…" Kenshin smiled sheepishly, glad that she couldn't see him. "Sorry that I worried you, Kaoru-dono… I never meant to frighten anyone… I just lost my senses. I won't do it again, I promise, de gozaru yo."

"Okay, that makes me feel better," Kaoru said. "Hey, the prom's coming up in a few weeks!"

"O-oro?" Kenshin blushed. "Wh-what about it?"

"Are you going?"

"Um… I hadn't heard about it until now… I don't know… I never was good at dances."

"You have to go! It's the prom! No one, and I mean NO ONE can miss it!" Kaoru cried.

"Oro…"

"So, are you going or not?"

"I… suppose…"

"Just don't forget. You need a date."

"D-d-date!" He bit his lower lip, his face so warm, a fire seemed like ice. "I… I'm not so good with w-w-women…"

"Not according to what you said last night," Hiko pointed out.

Kenshin gave him the meanest glare he could muster.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have no problem getting a date for the prom. Since you lost the glasses and started sporting the ponytail, a bunch of girls really have the hots for you." (A/N: like all the girls reading this fanfic…)

"O-oro! R-r-really? You're serious?"

"Yeah! Oh! That's my students! Gotta go!" She hung up. Kenshin dropped the phone.

"What's the matter?" Hiko asked.

"Girls like me…"

"Why's that a problem?"

"I don't know which one to ask…"

-

Since it was the weekend, Kenshin spent the day doing what he did best… cleaning. Hiko had actually joined in on the effort until he realized that he had a 'meeting' to go to. After he had grabbed his poker chips and cigarettes, he had left Kenshin alone to finish it by himself.

He was sweeping the front step when suddenly a black convertible with the symbol 'Aku' on the hood pulled out in front of the house.

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked.

"Hey, Kenshin!" Sano's head peeked out of the window of the car.

"Sano?" Kenshin blinked twice.


	21. The Kamiya Dojo

Chapter 21: The Kamiya Dojo

Kenshin closed the passenger side door of Sanosuke's car and found that Yahiko was in the backseat, staring out the window.

"I didn't expect to see you two together without arguing," Kenshin said idly.

"We just wanna know somethin', Kenshin," Yahiko said sternly, facing him with a stern look upon his face.

"Know what?"

"What the hell happened yesterday!" Sano blurted out.

"O-oro? I… I just lost my senses…"

"Not that!" Sano yelled.

"What we saw!" Yahiko responded immediately afterward.

"What… you saw?"

"Yeah!" They both said at the same time.

Kenshin blinked. "How would… I know what you saw?"

"Well… You were there," Yahiko said.

"Except, you were wearing a pink gi," Sano pointed out.

"-and you had that sakabatou with you," Yahiko butted in.

"Oro?" Kenshin asked.

"-AND there was a cross-shaped scar on your left cheek," They both said.

"I… think you had me confused with someone else…"

"Oh, that was you all right," Yahiko folded his arms, nodding. "-with all your 'de gozaru yo' and 'oro' and stuff."

"I can't say I know what you're talking about, de gozaru yo," Kenshin sweat dropped.

"Well, fine, but… Well, did you see anything?"

"O-oro?" Kenshin blinked a couple of times.

"Well, did you?"

"Uh-" Kenshin sank in his seat slightly. "I have something to-" He reached for the door.

Sano locked them and started the car. "Did you or not?"

"I've… been seeing strange things for a long time now…" He said quietly.

"You… have?" Yahiko asked.

Kenshin looked out the window as Sano began driving down the road. "I… I can't explain it… and I'm not sure I really want to. That would mean that I'd actually be giving in and admitting the crazy notion that I was-" He trailed off.

"Was what?" Sano asked, watching the road.

"Nothing…"

"Yahiko," Sano nodded.

Yahiko grabbed Kenshin's ponytail. "SPILL!" He pulled a pair of scissors out from his back pocket.

"ORO!" Kenshin cried, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Yeah, spill!" Sano coaxed.

"I-" Kenshin sputtered. "I-"

"You…." They both said, Sano pulling to a stop at the red light.

"I think that I… was someone else in a past life."

"To quote you…" Yahiko said, putting the scissors away. "Oro?"

"Who were you?" Sano blinked.

"Himura Kenshin."

"That's who you are now," Sano said, tilting his head to the side.

"Himura Kenshin was a rurouni who carried a sakabatou and protected people to repent for the sins he had committed."

"What would a rurouni with a reverse-bladed sword be able to do?" Yahiko laughed.

"Himura Kenshin… He was also known as Himura the Battousai."

"WHAT!" They both cried.

"Hey! Th-that's what you were calling yourself when you fought Saitou-san and Aoshi yesterday," Yahiko said.

"I know…" He muttered, prying his hair free from Yahiko's fist. "I'm starting to suppose that this isn't all just make-believe fairy tales and stupid talk from a bunch of psychos… I don't know why… but I'm starting to think… that I really am the Battousai."

"You can't think like that," Sano said, turning the corner. "-a-and even if you were… You're not anymore, so…"

"I was yesterday…"

"Feh, Saitou-san deserved every blow you gave him," Sano said, then switched on the radio, obviously claiming end to the conversation.

"Wh-where are we going?" Kenshin asked suddenly.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Home."

"Whatever. I'll just-"

"No… turn up here… I want to go… to my home…" Kenshin muttered, pointing.

"O-okay…" He whispered, blinking.

-

Kenshin stood in front of an old building, dirty and abandoned.

"Kenshin… what is this place?" Sano asked. "You… live here?"

"I used to," Kenshin said, walking carefully up the steps and onto the wooden porch.

"You-WOAH!" The steps broke when Yahiko stepped upon them. "Damn…" He crawled up onto the porch. "You used to live in a place like th-" Yahiko froze. "You know… this place looks… strangely familiar…"

"Of course it does," Kenshin entered a large room and picked a piece of dusty wood off the floor, wiping it clean with his hand and sending a cloud into the air. "You lived here too…"

The piece of wood was a sign. KAMIYA KASSHIN-RYU, it said.

"H-hey! That's the tanuki's last name!" Yahiko cried.

"Yeah, that yours and Jou-chan's swordsmanship style, isn't it, Yahiko?"

"Who would teach that in a crappy place like this?" Yahiko stared at the sign.

"Kaoru-dono would… It is after all, where she lived back during the Meiji Era."

"WHA!" They cried.

-

Kaoru sat at her dresser mirror, running a brush through her hair. _What I saw…_ The images of Kenshin from the day before flashed through her mind. _Was it for real?… Did I really know Kenshin in a past life?_ "NO WAY! I'm talking crazy!" She set the brush down, looking around for her ponytail holder. "Wh-where is it?" She felt around under her dresser.

"Ow!" She cried when she bumped her head against the top. Her hand gripped against a piece of cloth underneath. "Hm?" She rose up and looked down in her hand and slowly took in a deep breath.

It was an indigo ribbon, stained with blood.

"So… it's true… but if Kenshin knew of his past… it would hurt him… I'd better… keep this to my… myself…" She tied her hair up in the ribbon.

Looking in the mirror, she gasped again, the image of his arms wrapping around her and pulling her to him entering her mind. "Oh…" She blushed. "Everything seems so vivid… His arms felt so strong and safe and warm… GAH!" Her whole face turned red. _What am I saying! Did I have some sorts of feelings for Kenshin in the past!_

-

Yahiko took the sign with his name on it in his hand, tenderly running his fingers down the lines of the kanji. "It's like… a dream…"

Kenshin leaned against the doorway, looking out at the city that had built itself up. "Hard to believe it's still here, de gozaru yo."

"This would make a great clubhouse," Sano grinned.

"Clubhouses are for kids, Sanosuke!" Yahiko whined.

"Then you should love it here!" Sano laughed.

"WHY YOU-" Yahiko jumped up and began chomping on Sano's head.

"The closer I come… the more vivid my memories are…" Kenshin whispered, walking down the halls. "This was Yahiko's and Kaoru-dono's room. This room was mine…" He ran his fingers down the long-since destroyed shoji of each room, a solemn look upon his face.

"You really… do remember…" Sano muttered, looking in Kaoru and Yahiko's old room.

"Yes…" Kenshin turned and headed out. "We can go now…"

"Let's come back tomorrow though," Yahiko ran off after Kenshin. "I feel so at home here!"

"Me too!" Sano yelled, chasing after them. "Let's bring Megitsune and Jou-chan too!"

"I'd… rather not drag them into it… They needn't remember… if they don't have to…" Kenshin said, getting in the passenger side. "Their lives are good to them, and that's all the matters to me, de gozaru yo. A story from the past won't change anything… The past is the past, and it will always be that way. You can't rewind time… but you can forget it… unless you're me… and it never goes away… de gozaru yo…"

Sano stood, watching Kenshin in the car. "My friend, you need to heighten your opinion of yourself. C'mon, Yahiko-chan."

"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!" Yahiko yelled. Sano laughed.


	22. Plans

Chapter 22: Plans

"Heh heh," Hiko muttered, grinning dumbly as he counted the money he had one at his 'meeting'. "I am the poker master…. I mean… I'm sure my students will learn a lot."

"I wondered how long you'd be in there."

"Huh?" Hiko's eyes traveled to his car. "Saitou-san…"

"Himura…" Saitou sent a puff of smoke into the air.

"What about him?" Hiko asked.

Saitou narrowed his eyes and lifted his shirt tail up in the front. A large but not deep cut was slashed across his abdomen, scarring his body. "I was fortunate that his sword was reverse-bladed at the time…"

"He-" Hiko muttered.

"Yes… I'm not a man of denial," Saitou stood up and walked carelessly across the parking lot to look out at the cars on the street. "I won't say I wasn't foolish for trying to push the Battousai beyond his limits."

"His name is Kenshin," Hiko growled, clenching his fists.

"I believe that's the name you gave him," Saitou said, making an icy chill run through Hiko's veins.

"You… saw what I-"

"No," Saitou dropped his cigarette offhandedly to the ground and stepped on it. "I know my information, remember?"

Hiko grabbed Saitou suddenly and slammed him against the wall, leaving him stunned. "Saitou!"

Saitou's eyes widened from surprise, then narrowed in anger.

"Do you mind… telling me where you got all this information?" Hiko was fuming.

Saitou stared down his nose at Hiko. "Touchy, touchy," He said smoothly. "You need not collect what you have seen with your own eyes."

"You haven't seen all of it," Hiko's grip tightened on Saitou's shirt.

"You're more intelligent than you let on, Hiko-san," Saitou smirked. "It's true. I've gathered some of the information from another source."

"How about telling me what that source is," Hiko said, the blood vessel on his head pulsing.

"Put me down," Saitou said.

"Not until you tell me the truth, Hajime!" Hiko yelled.

Saitou shoved his foot into Hiko's stomach so quickly that he hadn't even seen it coming. Hiko's grip loosened, then let go, and he fell to his knees holding his abdomen.

"You, boy, don't seem to have your guard up. You may be ten years older than me, but you act ten years younger than your stupid apprentice," Saitou said, then grabbed the front of Hiko's shirt and turned the tables on him. "How dare you try something like that?"

"Who… is it?…" Hiko choked, still standing on his feet since he was taller than Saitou.

"…" Saitou punched him in the jaw. Hiko spit the blood out and glared at him. "Seta Soujirou."

"What!" Hiko cried.

Chou swung open the door in the warehouse to what Soujirou had claimed as his room. "Souji-" He shut his eyes when loud, screaming metal music blew through his ears.

"Hello!" Soujirou greeted, looking up from his notebook. He had dressed himself in blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a navy blue jacket, laying on his futon with a pencil in his hand.

"Turn that down!" Chou yelled.

"WHAT!"

"TURN IT DOWN!"

"WHAT! I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE MUSIC! LET ME TURN IT DOWN!" Soujirou reached over and turned down the music on his stereo.

Chou sighed, exasperated. "Jeez… You almost blew out my eardrums…" Chou said, sticking his finger in his ear.

"What's the matter?" Soujirou asked, smiling emotionlessly.

"Shishio-sama's house burned down…" Chou muttered.

"I know," Soujirou said, scribbling kanji down on the paper.

"Eh?" Chou did a double-take. "-but-"

"Shishio-sama wants his fight with Himura-san to be the same, but this time, he won't lose. He says he wants Himura-san to recognize him."

"HE BURNED HIMSELF ALIVE!"

"Yeah, but it's not like he hasn't done it before," Soujirou giggled, ripping out the paper and folding it up. He placed it in an envelope and licked it.

"What's that?" Chou asked.

"I'm sending out a letter to a 'friend'. The school dance is coming up, and what better a time to test Himura-san?"

"We can test him ourselves," Chou said.

"No, no, no…" Soujirou shook his head, standing. "It will be much more interesting this way."

"Who will it be?"

"The only other man to bring Himura-san close to breaking," Soujirou said.

"No…" Chou muttered, his eyes wide.

"Of course!" Soujirou said, heading down the steps. "I'm off to the post office!"

"That's all the way across town…"

"I have a bicycle," Soujirou said proudly.

"Sheesh… and they think I'm psycho for collecting swords… Speaking of which, I'd better go polish mine!" Chou zoomed off up another flight of stairs.

Soujirou jumped the last two steps and stumbled slightly before walking past the group laying lazily on a couch that someone had thrown out, watching the television that had been… 'thrown out' -per say-.

Kamatari looked up from his magazine. "Where are you going?"

"To mail a letter," Soujirou said simply.

"Ooh! I want to come!" He cried, hopping over the couch to a few protests of the Juppon Katana with the fact that he was wearing a brown and yellow plaid mini-skirt. He had pulled a yellow sweater-vest over a white dress shirt as well.

"Okay," Soujirou said sweetly as Kamatari put on his yellow socks and penny-loafers. "Let's go, then."

"Wee-hee!" Kamatari cried cheerfully, following Soujirou out the door.

"I'm glad I'm blind," Usui said as soon as they had shut the door.

Miscellaneous others moaned, covering their eyes.

Kaoru stepped into her living room, looking at the blue ribbon in her hand. "Ah… I remember now! I found this ribbon at that old dojo a year or so ago!" She said as it suddenly hit her. "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the stain out… Why did I even keep it?"

"KAOOORRRUUUUUU!"

She looked up from the ribbon to meet eyes with Misao as she entered the room. "You need to learn to lock your door."

"Misao-"

"I want you to come with me to shop for prom dresses!"

"-but-"

"Come on! You can't wear the same thing every year. You need a new dress, Kaoru," Misao put her hands on her hips, speaking matter-of-factly.

"-but I-"

"Look, this is senior year, Kaoru," Misao put her arm around her, leading her out the door. "It can't just be any old dress. It's the last dance you'll ever have, Kaoru! The last chance for high school romance, if you know what I mean. I mean, this year, I'm asking Aoshi. I WILL MAKE HIM MINE!"

"Misao… It's just that… I still don't have a date…"

"Don't worry, Kaoru. You're captain of the cheerleading squad. You probably haven't been asked because they're intimidated. Ask them. Do them a favor."

"I don't have anyone I want to…"

"What's with the ribbon?"

"Ah-" She looked down at it in her hand, and the thought that had gathered in her mind before of his strong arms around her penetrated her mind once more. "AHH-" Her whole face turned red. "LET'S GO SHOPPING!" She yelled, tying the ribbon in her hair and zooming out the door.

"HEY! Wait for me!" Misao cried. "I'm driving!"

_Every time I look at that ribbon, I think of Kenshin! Could it have something to do with what I saw yesterday in the gym?…_ Kaoru wondered.

(A/N: I bet this chapter is a bit difficult to read, ne? I had break lines for scene changes, but it appears that has removed them. No matter what I do to fix it, it's no good, so I hope you can bare with me with that. By the way, I've just gotten a scanner, so pretty soon, I'll be able to put some fanart up for this story! I'll tell you when I get it up, but in the meantime, please review! Thank you all SOOOOOOO much for the reviews you've given me. This is my most popular story, and because you are all so wonderful, I'll do all I can to produce more great RK fanfics for you in the future. I already have many plans including the "Rebirth" double series (not telling! If you want to know, you have to email me!). Anywho, that's about all I have to say. Hope you enjoyed it!)


	23. Death and Questions

Chapter 23: Death and Questions

School was not a pleasant thing to hear about, much less go to, but Kenshin stood in the kitchen, waiting for Hiko in his everyday uniform, a most solemn look on his face.

"Let's go," Hiko said, walking in as he pulled a bag over his shoulder.

"I don't… want to…" He muttered, pouting.

"Me neither, but you've missed enough school as it is."

"oro…"

"Get goin'!"

"Yes, sir!" He scurried out to the car.

Kenshin stared out the window of the car, watching the world speed by. He watched as people looked at each other and talked to each other, feeling strangely in tune with the world around him. His eyes passed through the crowd until they came upon a face which knocked him from his daze.

"Ah-" He said, his eyes blinking, then widening. Just as quickly as she came, the brown-haired woman was gone. "Who… was that?"

"Who was who?" Hiko asked.

"N-nothing," Kenshin said quickly, giving a nervous glance over his shoulder.

Hiko stared at him for a moment, then put his eyes back on the road.

"Um… Shishou… you seem extremely out of it today, de gozaru yo."

Hiko pulled over.

"O-oro?"

"Listen, boy… stop calling me shishou. I'm not your master, so stop saying I am. We don't know each other that well, and I didn't teach you swordsmanship no matter how many lies are placed into your head that I did, understand?"

"H...Hiko-san…" Kenshin muttered, wide-eyed. "I never..." A flash came before his eyes of he and Hiko facing off, and Hiko was wearing that ridiculous cloak, gi and hakama again. He shook his head to destroy the image from his mind.

"Don't listen to Saitou…" Hiko said suddenly.

"oro? Saitou..."

"He's cold blooded, and you can't trust him. Just do what I say. I know what's best for you."

"Hiko-san… Does this mean that you… actually care what happens to me?" Kenshin blushed in surprise and slight awkwardness.

"N-no!" Hiko yelled, making Kenshin slip back in his seat slightly. "I just know he's not reliable."

He pulled back onto the road, and Kenshin looked out his window again. He turned to look at Hiko from the corner of his eyes, and a smile cracked from his lips. _He's actually starting to like me…_

()

Hiko and Kenshin had arrived early. They both went and sat in his class, for Kenshin still had about fifteen minutes before first period started.

Hiko was busy writing his lesson plan on the board as Kenshin twiddled with the pencil in his hand.

"_Ai suru hito wo mamoru tame ni kitto," _Kenshin muttered to himself. _"Otoko wa umarete kita yo ai ga nakerya tsuyoku nakerya yasashiku wa narenai…"_

"Uh…" Hiko turned to face him. "Mind telling me what you just said there, baka?"

"Surely a man was born to defend the one he loves, if there is no love, if one is not strong, one cannot be kind…" Kenshin stated. "I just made it up," He rubbed the back of his head, beaming.

"A poet, I see," Hiko raised an eyebrow at him. "I never was one for poetry. Then again, I never needed it. The girls loved me already," He grinned. Kenshin merely smiled back, used to Hiko's infatuation with the female race and sake.

"Of course, Shishou," Kenshin said kindly.

"Hey, I thought I told you...ah..." Hiko paused when he saw the sad look within the smiling boy's eyes.

"You know… this will probably seem really stupid of me, but… I just thought I'd tell you… Thank you…. For helping me out so much. I do not deserve such kindness, de gozaru yo… Not many people would help out a boy like me," He said, standing up and slipping on his backpack.

"What kind of boy would people not want to help?" Hiko rose an eyebrow. Kenshin was a good kid. Anybody would want help from him.

"Why… hitokiri, of course," He said.

"Hito...Kenshin! I thought I told you-"

"I'm not as stupid as you think, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said, looking over his shoulder at him.

"Ken…"

"I have to get to class now. Sayonara!" He waved a two-fingered goodbye and walked off down the hall.

Hiko sat down on the edge of his desk and sighed. "Kenshin no baka…. What am I supposed to do with you? You're too smart for your own good… wise beyond your years… wise beyond mine, and everyone's. That ain't fair!" He pouted, then grinned. "-but… you still don't have any common sense… baka."

()

"Ahhh…." Sano growled in frustration. "A D-! Damn…"

"I got an A on that test, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said innocently.

"That's not fair…" He pouted. "The English teacher likes you."

"Oro," Kenshin rubbed the back of his head, smiling. "I studied really hard."

"Hm…" Sano rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe that's my problem…"

"Probab-"

"NAH!" Sano chuckled, throwing his hands behind his head. Kenshin face faulted.

"I'm beginning to wonder about you, Sano..."

"KEN-SAN!"

"Oro?" Two arms wrapped around his neck. "OH!… er… Megumi-san…" Kenshin muttered.

"Yo', Megitsune, hands off 'a my friend, eh? He's got his eyes set on another woman, and your making it harder for him," Sano said, sticking his finger in his ear and rotating it slightly.

Megumi scowled at him.

"Don't be sad, foxy! You can hang on me all ya' want!" Sano chuckled.

"You wish," Megumi said, letting go. "Besides, I was just greeting Ken-san in a friendly manner."

"You couldn't have been more 'friendly' if you grabbed his ass," Sano said, then broke into laughter.

SMACK!

"Hmph," Megumi said, throwing her hair back behind her shoulder and stomping off, leaving a severely embarrassed Kenshin and a disgruntled Sano with a hand-print on his face to watch her go.

"I shouldn't 'a said that, huh," Sano said, rubbing his face.

"Y-y' think?" Kenshin squeaked. "Hey… What do you mean 'I've got my eyes set on another woman'?"

"Jou-chan, duh," Sano shrugged.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Kenshin yelled, going red in the face. Sano burst into laughter and walked off, throwing his hands behind his head. "C-COME BACK HERE! Y-YOU SHOULD GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT, DE GOZARU YO!" He gave chase after Sano.

"You ca-an't get me!" Sano sang as he picked up into a run. "Ahahahahahahaha- WOAH!"

BAM!

Sano collided with another person.

"Sano!" Kenshin ran over.

"Oh, jeez, I'm sorry," Sano said raising up.

"It's okay," A high-tenor voice said, making Kenshin and Sano freeze. Soujirou rose up, beaming. "I wasn't paying attention, Sagara-san!"

"Sou..." Sano began, blue running over his nose.

"You of all people, preoccupied?" Kenshin glared at him, feeling no sympathy for the boy who had kidnapped him.

Soujirou giggled, standing up. "Yes, yes. I get inattentive too, Himura-san." He opened his eyes, and, for the first time, it looked as though there was a small, microscopic hint of emotion within them.

Kenshin stared at him for a second or two. Suddenly, a thought struck him from when he had been taken under siege by the Juppon Katana. "Soujirou…" He took hold of the front of Soujirou's jacket. "Tell me the truth…"

"Yes, Himura-san?" Soujirou asked innocently.

"Did you… kill my parents?" He said deeply, his eyes narrowing from under his bangs.

"…" Soujirou's smile faded for the first time in a long time. Then, after a moment, it returned, bright as ever. "Of course not, Himura-san!"

"You're lying!" Kenshin yelled, his eyes flashing gold for a moment.

"No!" Soujirou cried, his eyes flying open. His pupils became small, making him much creepier looking. "The only parents I killed is my own."

Kenshin paled, dropping him and stepping back. "Wh-wh-what?"

"You wouldn't understand," Soujirou beamed. "Although they weren't my immediate family, they were still my guardians, and I hated them, so I took care of it!"

"-but...why?" Sano asked.

"Well, it was perfectly fair because several times they beat the hell out of me too! Ahahahahahahaha!" He strolled off.

"That… has nothing to do with it…" Kenshin muttered.

"You're wrong," Sano said, making Kenshin turn to him. "Yahiko told me… that abuse can drive you to think and do things you'd never want to do."

"Yahiko?"

"Jou-chan saved him from a gang that kept picking on him, forcing him to do things that he didn't want to do."

"I didn't know…" Kenshin muttered.

"She kicked their butts with that boken. They transferred to another school now though."

"-but...it's still…. It's still MURDER, SANO!" Kenshin cried, grabbing hold of his shoulders. "SANO! No one deserves to die. No one deserves to be slaughtered!" He blinked several times to stop himself from crying, but all that he succeeded in doing was seeing his parents forms on his kitchen floor and seeing that woman in his arms with the dagger against his cheek.

"Kenshin, c-calm down," Sano said quietly, touching his shoulder.

"He shouldn't be walking as a free man… He isn't even… atoning… for his sins…" He slid down to his knees, choking up as his tears began slapping against the school's tile. "I… I've done all I can to repent for my transgressions… and I still feel like I haven't done enough… and yet… He walks around with a smile on his face… He's proud of his achievements… Dammit… He needs to be put in his place, de gozaru yo…."

"Hey…" Sano kneeled down next to him and touched his shoulder again. "Ken-" A flash of the samurai Kenshin flashed into his mind again. "Kenshin… It's okay. Let Soujirou do whatever the hell he wants. It's not your responsibility."

"Sano…" Kenshin rose up, smiling slightly. "You're… a real friend… thank you…"

Sano smiled slightly. "Let's go get him!"

"Sa...NOOOO!" Sano took tight hold of Kenshin's wrist and began dragging him along behind him. "STOOOOOPPPP! YOU NEED TO STOP THIS INSTANT, DE GOZARU YOOOO!" Kenshin cried, his eyes resembling that of the design on a lollipop (swirly-eyes!).

"C'mon, KENSHIN! Let's moooove it!"

"OORRROOOOO!"

"Ke-eh?" Sano screeched to a halt. "What happened in the library?"

"SANO!" Katsu suddenly burst from the library door, black marks on his face, his hair flying aimlessly out of place. "The computers just blew up!"

"EH!" The two boys cried.


	24. Aoshi and Megumi

Chapter 24: Aoshi and Megumi

"They just… EXPLODED!" Katsu yelled, spreading his arms out to illustrate just how big the explosion was.

"That's impossible…" Kenshin said.

"Go see for yourself. That is… if they'll let you in. Saitou-san is checking it out for bombs and stuff."

"Saitou-san?" Kenshin questioned.

"Oh… yeah, Saitou-san works part time as a cop."

"Tell me you're joking," Kenshin said, feeling as if he was doomed if he had to put his trust in SAITOU if he was ever in need of law enforcement.

"Didn't you know?" Katsu asked, trying to scrub the grime off of his face.

"Uh…" Kenshin sweat dropped.

"Sano, do you think that it was a bomb?" Katsu said, apparently not waiting for an answer.

"Doubt it…" Sano said, actually thinking. "I think I read somewhere that there was a vicious hacker on the loose with the ability to blow up computers and stuff…"

"Hey, can you tell me where you found that?" Katsu asked, pulling a pencil out of his hair and a small notebook out of his shirt. "I can put that in the school paper."

"I don't really remember…" Sano scratched his head, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm going to go look," Kenshin said idly as Katsu tried to pry information from Sano's head. He slowly pushed his way through the crowd to see in the windows when he suddenly ran smack-dab into another person. "OW!" He cried.

"Himura…"

"Ah--- Aoshi…" Kenshin said slowly, a fear creeping up his spine.

"I have a good idea as to who did this," He said, passing him. "Don't interfere… I have my own business to take care of with this situation…"

Kenshin watched Aoshi go. _He looked angry… more than usual… if that's possible…_

Lunch time rolled around. Kenshin headed towards his usual spot by the tree where he, Yahiko, Megumi, and occasionally Sanosuke would eat. He looked along the wall and came to the realization that Aoshi was not there today. He was always, ALWAYS there… but not today.

He raised an eyebrow and continued to his spot. _First he was upset… now he's gone… I'm really starting to worry… _He glanced at the Juppon Katana, and his left eye ticked slightly. He turned away immediately, then sat down.

"Hey," Yahiko said, moments later, as he plopped down next to him.

"Hello," Kenshin greeted. "Hm? Where's Megumi?"

"Tsubame-chan told me that she went home," Yahiko shrugged.

"Is she sick?" Kenshin asked, concerned.

"I don't know… if not I'm sure that's what she said."

"I do hope she's okay…" Kenshin said.

"If you want, we can go check on her after school," Yahiko suggested.

"I'm coming too!"

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up. "Sano-"

He looked incredibly serious, his form shadowed by the sun behind his head. The wind had seemed to come in right on cue, blowing his white scarf and jacket to the left of him.

"We all know she was fine earlier," Sano said. He looked none-too-happy. "She's up to something. I'm coming too. You can't stop me."

"Er… okay…" Yahiko and Kenshin said at the same time. Sano smirked in satisfaction. Kenshin and Yahiko looked at each other.

Once the school bell had rang, Kenshin hurried in his last period class so that he could meet up with Sano and Yahiko outside. He shoved his books into his bag and threw it over his shoulder, then headed down to where he kept his tennis shoes, switching them out with his school shoes. "Oro…." He said, afraid they wouldn't wait for him. "My class is so far away…"

He closed his shoe locker and turned to head outside when a hand landed heavily upon his shoulder. "Oro?" he turned to look up at who had stopped him. "Aoshi…" He said slowly.

"Mind your business… Stay out of my way," He said firmly.

"-but I---"

"You're about to get your head into more trouble than you need to," He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and sauntering past him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The computers, Himura… the virus that blew them up… Technology itself has become an even more severe weapon than swords and guns. I'm going to stop this hacker… for I must… avenge for my comrades…"

"Your comrades? Wait, who is-"

Aoshi had departed without notice. Kenshin looked around for a moment, considered looking for him, then decided that he had other things to do. Why waste time going after a freaky person talking nonsense, after all?

Aoshi watched Kenshin leave from around the corner, his icy eyes glaring at his back. "Himura… I won't let you fight my battles for me again… I am the strongest… and I'll prove it…" He stalked off down the hall. "I will put flowers on your graves this time."

"This is it," Yahiko said, stepping up to a beautiful, traditional-looking, Japanese house.

"It's way nicer than mine," Sano said, wide-eyed. "I live in the slums."

"I wonder what her family is like?" Kenshin pondered.

"She doesn't have one," Yahiko said, stepping up onto the porch. "Her family all disappeared when she was young. I wouldn't bring the subject up if I were you."

"Right…" Sano and Kenshin said, looking off in other directions, feeling guilty.

Yahiko sighed. "Okay, here goes." He slowly slid open the shoji. "Megumi-san? Megumi-san!" He called.

Kenshin and Sanosuke joined in, looking in rooms.

After about twenty minutes, they had searched the whole house with ease. No sign of Megumi.

"This is her room," Yahiko said, opening a shoji at the top of the stairs. "The one place we haven't looked."

The three men walked in. There was no sign of anyone, but the dresser had be thrown open, and all of its belongings had been removed. The futon had been folded up, and the closet was empty as well. Everything was gone.

"Wh-what?" Yahiko exclaimed, looking around. "Everything's… gone… her clothes… her pictures… her posters… even down to her hairbrush… it's all gone…" He muttered.

"Megumi-san? Are you here?" Kenshin called, worriedly.

"Megitsune? MEGITSUNE!" Sano ran into the room and threw the window open, searching the ground desperately to see if she was outside. "Dammit… Dammit all… MEGITSUNE!"

"Where could she have gone?" Kenshin checked a few more rooms in the hall again. "Where did she have to go?"

"Izu!" Sano screamed, heading down the stairs.

"Izu?" Kenshin leaned over the railing. "Why would she go to Izu?"

"I just know, okay! I noticed she was looking at a bunch of maps and junk on the computers a few days ago, all in Izu. She said it was for a report, but she didn't print or write anything. She's been all worried… and I should've said something then," He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Sano!" Yahiko slid down the railing.

"Yo', Katsu, I need you to tell me the quickest way to Izu and hurry! What do you mean your computer is busted! Look, this is an emergency! Use your laptop! You don't know where it is… HOW CAN YOU LOSE A LAPTOP!"

Kenshin strode down the steps, looking around curiously. _Izu…_He reflected on what Aoshi had told him. Computers… Weapons… Izu…. Megumi… Aoshi…

"Sano."

"Eh?" He looked up from his conversation.

"Let's make a pit stop at my house. There's something I need to pick up."

"Sano! I have a laptop that I hid away at the old dojo so I couldn't be grounded from it by Kaoru. We can go there to find a way."

"We'll use my car. Let's split up and meet at the dojo ASAP, okay?" Sano said, hanging up.

"Right," Yahiko and Kenshin said.

"See you then," Sano said, running to the right. Yahiko ran to the left, and Kenshin headed north.

_These things… are related… It'd be best if I got my sakabatou… _Kenshin thought to himself as he ran. _Megumi in Izu… Computer destroying viruses… God, I really am going insane, de gozaru yo._

(A/N: Sorry about the fact that the seperators are gone again. decided they don't like them. Anywho, thanks to all the people who reviewed. I LURVE YOU GUYS! You're the greatest. This is my most popular story, and it wouldn't have gone nearly as far without you. Betcha can't guess who the hacker is... oh, and after this little arc... IT'S THE SCHOOL DANCE! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! cough sorry... lost my cool... heh... ;)


	25. Arrival

Chapter 25: Arrival

Kenshin entered Hiko's home to find Hiko himself missing from his usual spot on the couch. He shrugged it off and headed up the stairs. Hiko wasn't what he was there for.

Entering his room, he nabbed the sakabatou off of the wall. "I sure hope this works," He said aloud. He then headed off back down the steps, grabbing his violet scarf that had come with the sword. He tied it around his waist and slipped the scabbard between it and his left hip. "Megumi-san, hold on… I'll save you…"

A thought brushed past his mind. A dagger… Sanosuke… Megumi… Opium…

"Opium?" Kenshin pondered out loud as he started fast walking up the driveway. "Megumi-san and Sanosuke… Could they have really played a big part in my past life?" He stared at his feet as he continued up the drive, pondering this.

"OOF!" Suddenly, he collided with another body and fell backwards onto the pavement.

"Ow…" He muttered, raising up on his elbows.

"Kenshin? Are you all right?"

Kenshin looked up at the extended hand to help him up. "Ah----" He blushed heavily. "K-k-Kaoru-dono… I… I'm sorry! He stood up without her help and brushed himself off. "I… I wasn't paying attention! Please forgive me!" He bowed politely.

"It's really all right, Kenshin, really," She said. "What's the matter?"

Kenshin stopped to stare at her. She was dressed in a white gi and blue hakama. There was a boken over her shoulder and sweat on her brow. She had just finished training. Of course, that wasn't the reason he was gazing.

"Have I… seen you in that before?" He asked, trying to think back to a time when he possibly could have.

"I… don't think so…" Kaoru raised an eyebrow, looking at him too. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, as if trying to see beyond themselves and deep into their minds.

"Um…"

"Oh! Uh… what's with the toy sword?" She asked.

"It's no toy," He said, drawing it.

She stared at it, wide-eyed.

"It's a sakabatou though!" He explained quickly. "Don't tell! Megumi-san has gone missing to Izu, and Sanosuke, Yahiko, and I are going to save her, de gozaru yo!"

"To Izu?…" She asked. "You're going away? Megumi… missing?"

"Her whole house was cleared out, and after much research, we believe she's gone to Izu," He said. Most of it was true… of course, they had put hardly any thought into it, and now that he was thinking about it now, he was starting to believe that perhaps she could be just about anywhere.

"Ah… Kenshin?"

"Oro?" He blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"Let me come with you! I'm a good fighter, really I am!" Kaoru said, taking his hands in hers and staring into his amethyst eyes with great passion and determination.

Kenshin thought his cheeks were on fire for a moment, though that wouldn't have been plausible. "Sure?" He uttered before thinking.

"Oh, I knew you'd let me come! I won't let you down!"

"Let… me… down?…" He questioned.

"Well…" She turned her back on him and started twiddling her fingers. "I… I wanted to… you know… help you… because of before… when you saved me…" Now she was the one with the heated face. "You know… some people told me that you were dangerous… but I really… really…"

A car suddenly screeched up in front of them. "Yo', Kenshin! Let's go!" Sano yelled impatiently. It seemed that Sano thought that the sooner he got to Megumi, the better.

"Kaoru-dono is coming too!" Kenshin said.

"Jou-chan? What're you thinking? It's dangerous for a girl to-"

"Then don't go," Kaoru retorted, slipping into the back with Yahiko.

Kenshin hid his laugh with a cough as he clambered in the passenger seat. "So, what were you saying to me before?" He asked, looking over behind him.

"Oh… nothing…" Kaoru said quickly, looking out the window.

Kenshin blinked a few times, then turned back to face forward. "To Izu!"

"To IZU!" Sano exclaimed and punched down the gas pedal.

In Izu…

Two feet stepped before a mansion, covered in a pair of black high-tops. They walked towards the gate and stood in front of it, their owner's icy colored eyes staring blandly at the lock on it.

Without warning, the blade of a kodachi slammed itself against the bars of the gate, and it collapsed with ease.

Aoshi stepped over them boredly and headed towards the home. "This hacker is going to hack up blood because of what he's done," He said angrily, his hand gripping the kodachis hilt tightly. "He can count on it."

He looked up at the windows, three filled with light. "I'm coming for you… Takeda Kanryuu."

By the time the Kenshin-gumiwere nearing Izu, night had fallen, and Yahiko had fallen asleep in the back. Kaoru stared at the outside world, occasionally passing a glance at Kenshin, but always at the wrong moment. He was always looking at her when she did, and they both had to look away.

Truth be told, Kenshin was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes OFF of Kaoru. She reminded him of someone… someone from long ago. Perhaps the owner of the scarf? No… it wasn't her, though he had become convinced that he did at one time love that woman… Kaoru was… She… He wasn't sure.

"We'll be there probably by dawn. You guys should get some sleep," Sano said, honking his horn at a slow moving car that wouldn't let him get in front.

As if on cue, Kenshin began to drift off at that very moment. "All… right…" He whispered, though it was barely heard. He was quickly snoozing before he knew what happened next.

_The sound of a gunfire…Screams for a leader…The swish of a blade…_

_"Why don't you ask your money to save you!" Kenshin yelled._

_The sakabatou nailed Takeda Kanryuu directly in the jaw and sent him to the floor, a large puddle of drool surrounding his face as he pleaded, "Please, please don't kill me…" _

"Ah-" His eyes flew open. It was perfect timing. "SANOSUKE!"

"Huh?" Sano rose his head up and looked back at the road, pulling out of the swerve off of the road he had taken. "Whoops…" He laughed nervously. Kenshin looked absolutely mortified.

"Maybe… I should drive the rest of the way, de gozaru yo," He said shakily.

"Uhhmmm… okay…" Sano murmured, pulling over. The two got out and switched seats.

Kenshin closed the door on the driver's side and pulled his seatbelt over his shoulder. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and shook his head, then took off down the road.

Once dawn had hit, Kenshin had pulled over on the side of the road and turned off the car. He too could no longer drive and had fallen fast asleep against the steering wheel. He only hoped that the people inside the house across the road wouldn't think anything of it.

"Kenshin… Kenshin… KENSHIN!" Sano yelled. Kenshin cried out and hit his head against the car horn, sending it blaring.

"AHHHHHHhhh-what?" He moaned, grabbing his forehead.

"Where the hell are we?" Kaoru asked, raising up out of the back.

"We're in Izu… I stopped on the side of the road so I could sleep, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said, glancing at her.

"This… place…" Sano said, getting out of the car.

"Oro?" Kenshin followed curiously. Kaoru climbed out behind him.

"There's… something about this place," Sano said. "I feel like I've been here before… Just like at that dojo we went to, Kenshin!"

"What dojo?" Kaoru asked.

"Hey, yeah! I feel like I've been here too!" Yahiko said. "It is like that dojo from the past!"

"From the past?" Kaoru was getting aggravated that no one was listening to her.

"Megumi is here," Kenshin said suddenly, staring at the gate. "This is… the home of Takeda Kanryuu…"

"Who's Takeda Kanryuu!" Kaoru yelled.

"That must mean Aoshi's here too," Sanosuke said crossing his arms.

"HEY!" Kaoru screamed. "MIND FILLING ME IN OVER HERE!"

"Ah-" They all froze and stared at her.

"Well, it… er… doesn't concern you… not really…" Kenshin said. "Well… actually… but… um… that is… er…"

Kaoru glowered at him, hands on her hips.

"We'll er… discuss it later…"

"When?" Kaoru more demanded than questioned.

"Uh… ah… At the dance…?" He blinked, curious as to his choice of setting.

"We're meeting at the dance?" She asked, blinking.

"Uh… yes… that is… if you'll… go with me…" Kenshin said, blushing. Now he understood. His mind was betraying him! He mentally slapped himself for it.

"Wha---?" Kaoru turned beet red. "Oh, um…"

_She already has someone to go with… Stupid Kenshin! You're very stupid, de gozaru yo! _He scolded himself, depressed.

"O…okay…" She whispered.

"I'm so sorry for… wait, what?" Kenshin blinked.

"She said she would. Can we go?" Sano said impatiently.

Kenshin stared at Sano, forgetting that he had been there. "Oh, right," He said. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Yahiko had also lost his patience. The four headed through the gate, serious looks on their faces.

"I just hope… Hiko-san isn't angry with me for not being home," Kenshin muttered, smiling sheepishly.

Meanwhile…

Hiko sat on the couch, flipping through the channels boredly. The phone rang, drawing his attention to it.

"Yo'," He said once he answered.

"Hey, this is Tsukioka Katsuhiro, and I was wondering if Kenshin was there. I didn't get Hajime-sensei's homework, and I wanted to get it from him."

"Hold on…" Hiko set down the phone. "HEY! BAKA!… Kenshin! C'mere! PHONE!…." His face went agitated for a moment. "YO, COME-HERE-YOU-BRAT!…" He waited. Nothing.

Picking up the phone, he sighed. "I guess he's not here."

(A/N: Sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait… Bwee… I'd been having trouble on where to go on this fanfic since writer's block consumed me in this plot. This chapter I'm sure isn't the best one… in fact, it was really jumpy, I thought… kinda like quite a few of these chapters… -.-' Well, anyways, I hope you enjoyed in none the less, and I'm trying to put more Kaoru in the fic someone requested it a few chapters back. I'm going to try to work in some more Aoshi and Misao too, but bare with me. Also, if you don't get enough Kaoru in this fanfic, I've got fanfics planned that will have a LOT to do with her, so no worries! Well… I'm rambling, so sayonara!)


	26. The Sword is a Weapon

Chapter 26: The Sword is a Weapon

It was surprisingly silent as the Kenshin-gumi headed towards the front door of the house.

"It's strange… I expected that there would be guards here," Kenshin said, glancing around.

"Yeah," Yahiko began. "Jeez, I guess he didn't-"

"Stop, Yahiko!" Sano yelled, and Yahiko froze, mid-step.

"WHAT!" He complained.

"That brick is booby trapped!" Kaoru said, pointing down at the part of the path he was about to step on. The brick was raised slightly out of the ground, hinting danger.

"Oro? You think so?" Kenshin asked, leaning over it to check as Yahiko placed his foot onto a safe brick. "What if it was just an accident?"

"Houses like this don't have mistakes in the bricking," Sano said matter-of-factly.

"Plus, look…" Kaoru pointed all along the ground. "There are a bunch of them."

"Then, let's avoid them," Kenshin said, stepping around a few and winding his way up to the front door, followed by Kaoru, then Sanosuke, then a severely disturbed Yahiko.

"Do we… knock?…" Kenshin asked innocently.

"NO WAY! We have to storm the place!" Sano yelled, slamming his fist against his other hand. "This guy'll pay!"

"You're a bit edgy, aren't you," Kaoru said, her eyebrows flattened, a smirk playing on her lips.

"What're you trying to say?" He asked, blushing slightly.

"Are we going in or what?" Yahiko sighed.

"How do we get in?" Kenshin asked, jiggling the knob. "The door is locked."

"Step aside," Sano said, pushing the other three back a bit.

"Sano, what are you going to-" Kaoru began.

BAM!

His fist hit the door. Silence… Then, the door exploded!

"Boy, that was discreet. They'll NEVER know we're here," Yahiko said sarcastically.

"How… How did you do that?" Kaoru asked, a few hairs out of place.

"I dunno. I-" Sano began.

"Futae No Kiwami," Kenshin said precisely.

"Uh, bless you," Sano said.

Kenshin smiled knowingly. What he knew, he wasn't quite sure, but… eh…

"We'd better hurry and find Megumi before the guards and others get here," Yahiko said.

"Or even worse… We run into more booby traps," Kaoru said nervously.

"There will not be any more traps, I can assure you," A voice from the stairs caught the four's attentions. "-and Megumi is hidden somewhere in this house."

-

Hiko sat at his kitchen table, grading papers. He yawned and rubbed his eyes with his fist. "I'm so bored…" He said, getting up and grabbing a bottle of sake out of the refrigerator. "I like it better warm, but…" He took a large gulp out of it, and the phone rang. He lowered the bottle and scowled in frustration, setting it down on the counter and picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is Himura-san there?" The other voice asked.

"Nope. I have no idea where he is," Hiko said casually. "When he gets back, I'll tell him you called. Who is this?"

"Seta Soujirou, sir," He giggled, making Hiko's eyes widen. "You do that!"

"How did you get this number!"

"Shishio-sama told me what it was. He knows everything," Soujirou said. "-but I was just calling on Kamatari-san's behalf. He wants to go to the dance with Himura-san. He would've gone with Shishio-sama, but Shishio-sama doesn't go to school, and he doesn't want to go, and even if he did, he would go with Yumi-san."

Hiko hung up the phone. "That child… Shishio, huh? Hmm…"

-

"Aoshi?" Kaoru exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"I thought I told you not to interfere, Himura," He said, glaring at Kenshin. "Go home. I'll take care of everything."

"How long have you been here?" Sano asked.

"I got here yesterday, but I've been crawling through the vents and destroying the traps set throughout the house. I can't get to all of them though. It appears a few work by computer, which isn't surprising, since Takeda Kanryuu has decided to spend his days as a hacker. Apparently computers are more effective weapons."

"So, he was the one who blew up the computers," Yahiko said. "He's known about us going to that school. It's the only school where that happened."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to kill him myself," Aoshi said.

"Well, all right then," Yahiko said, turning around, froze, then turned back around. "WHAT! KILL HIM!"

"Yes," Aoshi said. "-and you'll all get in my way. Get out."

"Aoshi!" Kenshin cried. "I can't let you do that!"

"It's wrong to kill!" Kaoru yelled. "A sword is a tool to save people with!"

"Maybe in your imagination, but back during the Tokugawa Revolution a sword is a weapon to kill others with. A spy and ninja like myself will never miss his target… and back before I was reincarnated, Takeda Kanryuu did something unforgivable… and this is how I will put flowers on the grave."

"I knew you were creepy, but I didn't know you were a psycho," Sanosuke said.

"I won't let anyone die!" Kaoru yelled, holding her boken in fighting stance. "Good or evil, no one should expire without having a chance to change!"

"He didn't die the last time. He didn't change this time. Why should I give him another chance?" Aoshi's normally quiet voice was gaining an edge to it.

"-because it's the right thing to do!" Kaoru yelled. "My swordsmanship style was taught to me by my father! The morals of Kamiya Kasshin-ryu have been passed down for generations, and I've been taught well! Killing is wrong, and a sword is a tool to protect others!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Yahiko said, grabbing hold of his shinai.

"YEAH!" Sano agreed.

"No," Kenshin said, making them all stop and look at him.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.

"It's not that way, no matter how much we want it to be… Even in this day and age, the sword cannot be put to rest, for some will never stop obsessing with the color of blood. It's been over a hundred years, but they refuse to let it die. They would rather have others die so they can achieve their goals than finally placing their sword at its rest and getting on with their lives. Some are bound and determined to take lives in stead of giving life to others."

"Fancy words, Himura. You always were like that," Aoshi said. "Well, not always."

"I don't understand things clearly yet," Kenshin said to Aoshi. "-but whether or not I'm going crazy or seeing my true past… I can't allow you to kill another."

"Then, you won't be passing this point," Aoshi said, drawing his kodachi.

"Aoshi, I don't want to fight you," Kenshin said. "Don't make me fight."

"The only thing anyone is ever forced to do is live, die, and pay taxes," Aoshi said. "If you don't want to fight, then it'd be best if you left."

"NO!" Sano yelled, standing in front of Kenshin. "We didn't come here to listen to you rag on about your beliefs in the sword! We came here to save Megumi! Now, I don't give a damn about what happened to you in the past! What matters is the present, and Megumi needs our help, so get the hell out of the way!"

"Sano…" Kaoru said, surprised.

"I admire your will, Sagara," Aoshi said. "Go save your precious Megumi… but leave Kanryuu… to me…"

"-but-" Kenshin began.

"Great! Let's go!" Sano yelled, heading past Aoshi and up the stairs. Kaoru and Yahiko quickly began to follow.

Kenshin looked up at Aoshi. "Aoshi… Please don't kill him…"

"You can't order me around, Himura," Aoshi said. "I've been wronged for too long. I lost four very close people… and I never got to put flowers on their graves… I wouldn't have had to… had Kanryuu not killed them…"

"The Oniwaban-shu," Kenshin said sadly.

"Only when you get past distractions can your mind see clearly, eh, Himura?" Aoshi said, walking past him. "Megumi is in the highest tower, but you'd best be warned… There are many traps here. Kanryuu was expecting you, see, and you're in danger of being killed."

"Well… it's not like it's the first time…" Kenshin muttered, heading up the stairs. "-but… remember what I said… Aoshi… they died, but… you can't keep hanging on and go out for revenge… My parents were killed just recently, but I'm doing my best to get over it. I couldn't have gotten this far without my friends… Maybe if you weren't so alone all the time-"

"I'm not alone," Aoshi said. "I have Misao…"

Kenshin smiled. "Yes, I suppose that's true… Well, see you…" He then ran to catch up with his friends.

Aoshi glanced up after him. "Himura…" He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He slipped his kodachi back into his sheathe. "Himura Kenshin… Himura the Battousai… The two were the same… but completely different people." He shook his head and headed off down the hall.

"SANO! I can't believe you stood up to Aoshi like that!" Yahiko cried, running to catch up with Sano and his long legs.

"Jeez! I'm no coward! If you had stood up to him on the other hand-"

"HEY! SHUT UP!" Yahiko yelled.

"Where are we supposed to find Megumi?" Kaoru asked.

"THE HIGHEST TOWER!" Kenshin cried, running up next to Kaoru. "-but beware of traps because Aoshi said that the computer traps haven't been stopped!"

"I guess we'd better slow down then," Sano said, stopping.

"DAH!" Yahiko cried, running into the back of him.

"EEK!" Kaoru cried, running into Yahiko.

"ORO!" Kenshin cried, running into Kaoru.

"Uh… sorry about that," Sano said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You… stupid…" Kaoru growled.

"MOVE IT!" Yahiko yelled. " I don't really enjoy having my face planted into your back!"

"Right, my bad," Sano said, starting up the stairs more slowly and being followed by the rest.

(A/N: OMG, an update! I can't believe it! Even tho it was kind of a filler chapter... nothing really happened... sorry... but I'm still working on that writer's block... When stories get really long like this, I guess writer's block can kill you... but don't worry. I haven't abandoned this story. In fact, I'm slowly crawling out of the block with the success of my other stories. I can't really explain it, but success on other stories remind me of the success of this one, my most popular story, and I am really working to get the chapters out there. Please forgive me for the chapters taking so long. I'll do what I can to get the next chapter up assoon as I can think up something.)


	27. Shinomori

Chapter 27: Shinomori

There was a large room lit with chandeliers.

Aoshi entered it quietly and seriously as he always did. This would be the place, he knew, for this was the place he had last seen the man who had killed his friends… all those years ago… when he was Okashira of the Oniwaban-shu.

For the first time in a long time, he let out a small smile though it was more of a smirking half-smile. Himura, Sagara, Kamiya, Myojin, and Takani were all so blind. He'd known the moment he had begun having visions of his past life that that was indeed what it was, and he was determined to fulfill his own wishes. The only one he had discussed this with was Hajime Saitou whom he was currently not speaking to. It seemed under some trade for information or something that Saitou had made ties with Shishio Makoto and his men. He'd often seen them talking, Saitou and Soujirou or Kamatari, but that was only after everyone had left. Aoshi had the tendency to spend long hours at school just roaming the halls. No one dared told him not to.

Yes, Saitou knew his secrets, though now that he thought about it, he wasn't the only one. Misao knew as well, though he did not have to confer with her about it. She simply remembered as well and was quite chatty about it. Since he was her object of adoration and affection, he was of course the first to know. They simply made their own ties at the point and decided to figure out more. They had both known the same people and worked in the same army (if it could be called that), and Misao had decided it was a cry of destiny pulling them together.

Nonsense, Aoshi thought. He didn't believe in destiny. Destiny was just a lame word to explain things happening. It wasn't destiny. It was what one brought on him or herself. That was why he was here, not just to avenge his friends, but to find out what he had done to make it happen.

Fortunately, he'd managed to quietly leave without Misao tagging along this time. She was always so intent on following him everywhere that he never got any peace. It was quite aggravating at times, but he knew she meant well and never spoke cruelly to her. In his past life, he had remembered doing enough of that. If he wanted her gone, he would just send her off on some mindless task for him, and most of the time she would skip off, thrilled to be doing something for him.

What he didn't understand was why she cared so much. Everyone else found him cold, heartless (possibly without a soul as well), cruel, scary, and angry. He found that those descriptions were quite accurate, but apparently Misao didn't see or hear clearly.

Had he been the humored type, which he definitely wasn't, he would have probably gotten a kick out of watching Misao and himself. He was a tall, dark, steely-eyed, silent Goth obsessed with war and the past. She was a happy, peppy, if somewhat clumsy, little cheerleader who loved to talk loudly and skip and sing but was also obsessed with war and the past, though not as much. They were like some sort of demented odd couple.

At the moment, he had sent her off so she wouldn't bother him except that this time, the task wasn't quite so meaningless as getting him a soda from across town or baking him a chocolate cake with three and a half layers (he would admit that he'd gotten creative over the years). At the moment, she was currently doing what Oniwaban-shu members did best: spying. In fact, she was spying on the Wolf of Mibu at this very moment, trying to discover his and/or Shishio's plans for world domination or whatever he was after this time around, though he already suspected it was revenge on Himura.

Why he wanted revenge, he wasn't sure. Had he not spontaneously combusted, he most likely would've won the fight against the Battousai. It wasn't Himura's fault that it happened technically. I mean, if traced back, it was Shishio who started the fight. Perhaps he was not out for revenge after all…

Maybe, he just wanted to finish what he started… and that was bad news for the idiot rurouni who still seemed a bit sightless to his past though it had been laid out in front of him several, several times. It was what Aoshi had tried to prevent in the beginning, since that was just what Shishio wanted, but when he discovered that the boy was fighting with Saitou, he silently began to realize that if he was going to live, he had to remember. If anyone was going to stop Shishio, it would be that stupid, bumbling, red-headed wanderer.

Yes, the world seemed doomed indeed.

Either way, he decided that now was not the time to test the ex-hitokiri with his skills, for this battle against Takeda Kanryuu was his to own. The boy would just be a nuisance in the end. Himura tended to fight other people's battles for them. He wasn't about to let him fight this one again.

No, he didn't need his assistance this time. There was another battle approaching (He had discovered this through tapping the phones where the Juppon Katana were currently residing at.) him that he could practice on that would probably restore every ounce of his missing memories however good or bad. It didn't really matter to Aoshi if he was traumatized forever except for the fact that Tokyo, Kyoto, Japan, and basically everyone was going to need him ready for battle. He'd have to get over it. After all, whatever spiritual being there was up there had sent him back down for a reason, correct?

Maybe there was such a thing as destiny after all…

The doors swung open.

"What took you so long, Kanryuu? Did you finally get the guts to come out and speak with me?" Aoshi asked, glancing towards the door, then gasped, wide-eyed.

"Actually," Soujirou said, beaming. "He's dead."

-

"We can't waste time!" Sano yelled, hurrying up the last flight of stairs. "We'll take any booby-trap he's set up head AHH!" His foot crashed through the stairs, and he held on to the one above it to keep from falling to his doom.

"That's one heck of a trap," Yahiko said, innocently watching Sano with obviously no intent on helping him.

"Actually, I think it was just a flimsy stair…" Kaoru replied.

"Oro…" Kenshin said.

"STOP TALKING AND HELP ME!" Sano yelled, fuming angrily.

"I don't know…" Yahiko said. "You always were mean to me shoving me into trash cans and stuff…"

Kenshin jumped over the step that was not there and yanked Sanosuke up.

"I should kill you," Sano threatened to Yahiko. "-but there are more important things to take care of right now."

Yahiko made a clumsy jump to the other side and Kenshin helped him up. Kaoru gracefully hopped to the other side.

"Let's go…" Sano said, stomping up the rest of the steps.

"Don't break another step," Yahiko said.

"MUST DIE!" Sano yelled, Kenshin barely able to hold him back.

"Give it a rest," Kaoru said, heading up ahead of them. "Let's GO."

Sano pouted. "Yeah. Don't fall behind, Yahiko-chan!"

"Just keeping my distance so the stairs don't break under my feet!" Yahiko counted, growling over the 'chan' comment.

"Stop," Kenshin said as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Wh-what is it?" Kaoru asked.

"We've got company," Kenshin replied.

A group of men, most likely some of Kanryuu's weak underlings, stood, blocking the way.

"This shouldn't slow us down long," Sano said, punching his right fist into his left hand. "Even Yahiko could take these guys down."

"HEY!" Yahiko yelled.

"Kaoru-dono, you and Yahiko stay here and take care of these men. Sanosuke and I will go forward and destroy any traps that might cause us danger in the long run and then hurry ahead to save Megumi. Is that all right?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah!" Kaoru said. "Come on, Yahiko!"

The two ran at the men with their weapons ready, and Sano and Kenshin zoomed past.

-

"Dead…?" Aoshi whispered.

"Yeah. It seems he got a little too much information on Shishio-sama, and so I was sent to take care of it," Soujirou giggled.

"He was mine to kill…" Aoshi muttered menacingly, his steely-eyes narrowing. "You had no right to…"

"Don't go preaching to me about what's right," Soujirou replied, "because I don't know anything about it… and neither do you…" He walked into the room slowly, taking in Aoshi with his soulless, blue eyes. "If you have not yet settled your bloodlust, I will fight you."

"I did not come here to fight. I came to kill," Aoshi replied, his voice dangerously low.

"Well, I was here for the same reason. I guess I got to him first. It's just too bad, huh. You could have gotten Shishio-sama's information off of him… The stuff you can't find from watching in windows like your little girlfriend."

Aoshi's eyes widened. He drew his kodachi and then the other one and got into stance.

"We didn't do anything. We just humored her by talking too low for her to hear and staying away from the windows, but I'm glad you're in the fighting spirit because taking care of you will get me ahead of schedule," Soujirou said, drawing his own wakizashi.

"It's amazing…"Aoshi said, staring down the blade.

"What is?" Soujirou asked innocently, looking interested.

"It's amazing that you remember so little yet you think you know everything," Aoshi responded. "Don't you remember who won the fights? Do you remember how little you meant to this 'Shishio-sama' or yours? Can you even think about what you did after your battle with Himura?"

Soujirou's smile faded for the first time. His eyes widened, and it seemed as if he was being redeemed of something he had not seen. "No… stop putting things in my head… Shishio-sama told me…"

"You know he likes to lie, right? Anything to get what he wants. The strong live and the weak die, right? He has to be at the top, right?" Aoshi approached the boy who no longer seemed ready for battle.

"Shut up!" Soujirou cried, backing away. "You're just trying to freak me out!"

Aoshi said nothing but continued to approach. After a moment or two, Soujirou was against the wall, looking pale and frightened, and Aoshi was standing before him, tall and powerful.

"As a man who remembers it all… You will know… and be redeemed… You sick, horrible freak."

Soujirou's memories were flooding back into his head.

His scream rang out through the building.

-

"What was that?" Sano asked, horrified, stopping and turning around.

Kenshin stared down the stairs, silently, seriously…

"Do you think it was Yahiko or Kaoru?"

"No," Kenshin replied. "Let's keep going…"

_That was a cry of a boy who saw a horrible life… a life forgotten… a life remembered… Even if I was there I could not save him from the pain he was going through…_

(A/N: GASP! An Actual UPDATE! HURRAH! I know it's been what… almost five months? Jeez, I'm sorry… I refuse to abandon my most popular story! I hope you liked the chapter!)


	28. Innocence

Chapter 28: Innocence

Soujirou lay, curled up in the fetal position, shivering in Aoshi's shadow. Tears stained his face.

"Now… you remember…"

Soujirou was on his feet in seconds, swinging his blade as wildly as the look in his panicked eyes. Aoshi, being the skilled one he was, dodged easily.

"One who does not know what to believe anymore has no reason to fight," Aoshi said calmly. "Therefore, he loses the ability to think clearly when faced with a problem."

Soujirou kept swinging and screaming, unable to do anything else. "I-HATE-YOU!" He yelled between slashes.

Aoshi continued evading smoothly. "Do you hate me, or do you hate yourself for being the stupid boy that you are?"

"Shut up!" Soujirou cried.

Aoshi turned his kodachi around and gave Soujirou a blow in the stomach with his hilt. Soujirou made a noise that sounded like an 'oomph' and then coughed blood out onto the floor.

Aoshi sheathed his blades. "It's not even worth it now…"

"No…" Soujirou coughed from his spot on the ground. "No… kill me… You can't leave me this way…"

Aoshi kicked him right under the chin, making him fall onto his back. "Hell doesn't deserve scum like you. Clean up and maybe I'll give you that honor. I'm angry enough as it is that you took my kill… but to cower like that… well, it doesn't make me look strong at all…"

"-but--"

"Piss off…" He walked out of the room, his shoes leaving an echo throughout the room.

Soujirou lay with his hand to his face, not blinking, not moving.

As he faded from consciousness, the chandelier lights twinkled like the stars in the sky. _Hell doesn't deserve scum like you…_ Aoshi's statement rang in his ears… and yet… in that moment between being awake and asleep, he truly felt… innocent.

-

Kenshin seemed to notice the traps from a mile off, traps Sano had never even expected. He wasn't sure how his friend had gotten so good at seeing these sorts of things, but there wasn't time to question it. Megumi could be in real danger! Or not. Either way, he wanted to see her, just in case.

The wanderer boy slashed down a few security cameras and then blocked a handful of sedative darts that came out of the wall with his blade. "I believe that's the last of them…" Kenshin said, turning towards the door at the end of the hall and knocking.

"Megumi-san, are you in there? It's Kenshin and Sanosuke. We've come to save you, hello?" Kenshin called through the door.

Silence.

Sano growled. "STEP ASIDE, KENSHIN!"

"Oro?" He did so.

"FUTAE NO KIWAMI!" Sano yelled, slamming his fist into the door. It exploded.

"We could have checked to see if it was locked first…" Kenshin mumbled.

Sano yelled, "MEGUMI! ARE YOU HERE!"

The closet door was half open. He marched over and swung it open all the way.

Megumi was in the corner with her head in her knees. Sano did not yell anymore. He dropped down and took her shoulders so she would look at him. "It's really us, you know," Sano said, smirking.

"Sa-Sanosuke…" She whispered, blushing, shocked.

"Let's get the hell out of this place. We got a lot of stairs to descend, you know… Heh, descend. I guess my tutoring is really paying off, heh-heh." He stuck his tongue out.

"I can't leave… I had to come here so I could protect you guys from… Kanryuu…"

"Kanryuu is dead."

Everyone turned around. Aoshi stood in the doorway, looking bland of emotions as usual.

"Aoshi… you-" Kenshin began.

"No, I didn't," Aoshi responded. They waited for him to tell them who had, but when he didn't say anything, they shrugged it off.

"Hey… HOW'D YOU GET UP HERE SO FAST!" Sano yelled.

"I took a shortcut through the vents so I wouldn't have to face the booby traps," Aoshi replied smoothly.

"Wh… WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT BEFORE!" Sano growled.

"You didn't ask."

"AGH! You're as bad as stupid Saitou!"

Megumi still hadn't gotten over the phrase about Kanryuu.

Sano, who had recovered from his angry spell, smiled at Megumi. "Are we going or not? You heard the man."

"OH!" She cried, throwing her arms around him. His cheeks turned red, and he scratched one of them with his index finger.

"Soujirou was here…" Kenshin mumbled to Aoshi.

"Yes."

"What'd you do to him?"

"I didn't kill him if that's what you're wondering."

That was the closest thing to an answer he was going to get out of Aoshi.

Sano helped Megumi to her feet. "Let's get the hell out of here. I'm hungry."

"Hiko-san's probably worried about--- you know what? I bet he doesn't even know I'm gone," Kenshin replied flatly then sighed.

Aoshi just stood there while the half of the Kenshin-gumi there passed him.

_We really are doomed…_He concluded.

-

The trip home was a lot louder than the trip there. Since Kaoru and Megumi had their differences, it seemed they found it necessary to point out every single one and argue about it. The worst part was, Yahiko thought it'd be funny if he called shotgun, and since Sano was driving, that put poor Kenshin right in the middle of it.

Apparently, Kaoru and Megumi both thought Kenshin as an object of affection. It wasn't that he didn't know this (or at least with Megumi anyways) but it was incredibly hard to play dumb while sitting right in-between the two.

After about an hour and a half of bickering, Kenshin was about ready to pass out, when Kaoru played her trump card.

"Oh yeah? Well, Kenshin asked ME to the dance!"

-and all was silent.

It was like that part in a western right before the sheriff and the bad guy faced off. All they needed was the tumbleweed.

"You lie!" Megumi yelled.

"No way!" Kaoru retorted.

"Oh, look! A fast food place!" Sano chimed, squealing the tires into the parking lot.

"I have to go call Hiko-san!" Kenshin said quickly, hopping over Megumi and out the car door.

"Kenshin! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!" Megumi and Kaoru yelled in unison.

"ORO!"

He was safe in the phone booth, for now anyways, and he dialed up Hiko's number. He waited three rings before Hiko picked up.

"Hello?" His voice grunted on the other line.

"Um… hello, Hiko-san," Kenshin said.

"YOU! You little idiot! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!" He shouted into the phone

"ORO! I… I was just… um… I was with Sano and Yahiko and Kaoru-dono… We had to go save Megumi-san from Takeda Kanryuu…"

"I didn't ask what you were doing, I asked where you were!"

"Um… Izu…"

"WHAT! What'd you go to Izu for!"

"I just told you…"

"You'd better get back here really fast so I can kick your ass! You've been gone overnight! I didn't allow you to go on some road trip!"

"She needed our help… W--- were you worried about me?"

"OF COURSE NOT! This house is a wreck, and I know how you like to clean."

"Oro… I expected that kind of answer…"

"GET YOUR ASS BACK TO TOKYO!"


	29. Shishou

Chapter 29: Shishou

It was hell at Hiko's house for the next few days. Kenshin worked until his body was numb and smelled like cleaning chemicals. Hiko was like a dictator, always looming over him, yelling about how he wanted things done.

Finally, since Hiko had gone to the store, he had some time to rest and spent it sprawled out on his bed. He wanted to think about all the things that had happened to him, but he was just too tired. His eyes shut almost immediately, and he drifted into a dream.

This dream was not like other dreams. The entire world was white and had no end. All around him was emptiness except in front of his very eyes.

The man in front of him stood far from him with his back turned and dressed in samurai clothing. His top was a fuchsia color while his pants were white. His long red hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, just like his own.

Slowly, Kenshin approached this man, reaching out his hand. "Do you know…" Every word he said echoed. "…what's going on?"

The man started to turn around. His face turned closer and closer. Kenshin's eyes widened with suspense, wondering who he could be. A crossed shaped scar…

"GET UP, BOY!"

"ORO!" Kenshin flew up, panting.

Hiko crossed his arms. "I got you something."

"Me… something?…" He asked, blinking sleepily.

"Yeah," Hiko replied. "Since you told me that you've miraculously got a date to the dance…"

Hiko held out a tuxedo, black with a white shirt and bow tie. "It's only a rental, so keep it clean, and don't say I never did anything for you."

"Um… thank you," Kenshin replied, giving a weak smile, "but that's not for another week."

"I rented it for two weeks," Hiko told him. "I would forget."

I was having a weird dream," Kenshin said.

"All dreams are weird," Hiko replied, turning to leave.

"Hiko-san… Do you believe in reincarnation?"

A flash of that little boy standing in front of that wooden cross entered his head. "Why?" He asked.

"I've… been thinking about it a lot… I've been doing some research too. Did you know there was a man back in the revolution and Meiji Era with the same name as me? He was the Battousai. He killed many men and became a rurouni…"

"I know the story of Hitokiri Battousai," Hiko responded rather bitterly.

"Oh…" Kenshin said. "-but… It couldn't have just been a coincidence, right? I see things that never happened to me. I remember people I've never met. I… I even have a sakabatou that I think belonged to him! My name was on the trunk!"

Hiko placed his hand on Kenshin's forehead. "You're running a fever."

"I… I am?" Kenshin questioned, surprised.

"Yeah. I guess you've been doing too much lately."

Kenshin lowered his eyes. "No thanks to you..." He muttered in a dead-pan tone.

"What?"

"Nothing," He answered innocently.

"Whatever. I'm going to go see if I actually have any medicine stuff," Hiko told him, marching away.

Kenshin laid back down, too tired to change into a pair of pajamas. "I think I was close… but to what?" He ran his finger down his cheek in the shape of the cross scar, remembering when his face would bleed. It hadn't in awhile.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open to find that the room had darkened considerably. He hated when he slept like that. It made him feel like he didn't sleep at all, and right now, it was exceptionally bad. He felt nauseated and heavy around his eyes, but none the less dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs.

"Hiko-san?" He called weakly, looking around for any sign of him. He shivered and stumbled into the laundry room where his newly cleaned pajamas (that he cleaned himself) were folded neatly on the dryer. He changed out of his uncomfortable jeans and t-shirt and into his red and black-plaid flannel night clothes.

Finding his way back into the living room, he found Hiko just walking in with a bag in his hand. They met eyes, and Kenshin suddenly felt dizzy.

"Stupid kid," Hiko said, catching him with his free arm as he fell.

"I was just…" He trailed off, forgetting what he was off to do.

Hiko lifted him over his shoulder and carried him up the stairs and threw him down on the bed. "Now, stay there." He commanded, and Kenshin pulled his covers up over his nose.

"Oro… Yes, sir."

"Uh… Okay," Hiko dug in the bag and set out a bunch of random medical things onto the nightstand. Many of them were not necessary, such as bandages and such, but others were of some use. It looked as if he just grabbed one of everything. "I don't know much about this medical stuff. I never get sick."

"That's a thermometer," Kenshin pointed. "It measures fever."

"I knew that," He snapped, though Kenshin wondered.

Hiko removed it from the case and handed it to Kenshin. Kenshin, taking his cue, put it in his mouth.

After a moment, it beeped, and Hiko pulled it out. "Yup. You're sick."

"Sorry?" Kenshin asked.

"Well, get over it. Kaoru will be upset if you don't go to the dance with her. Plus, I don't think they'll let you miss anymore school. I know that if I was the administration, I'd be tired of the bullshit."

Kenshin blushed. "…but…" He changed the subject. "So… do you believe in reincarnation?"

"…" Hiko was silent for a moment or two. "Yeah… I suppose. Yeah, in fact, I really do…" His mind was racing backwards in time… to that vision of the little boy in front of the cross while the sunloomedagainst a blood red sky.

"Do you think that I was reincarnated?" He asked, leaning his back up on the bed stand.

"We probably all were, if you really believe in that stuff… but do you think that you were someone special, Himura?" He grinned at him and chuckled.

"I certainly am not now… but then… yes, back then, I was special… but it wasn't for good deeds…"

"You can't honestly believe you're the reincarnation of Battousai, can you?"

Kenshin was quiet. "I… I suppose not…"

_Well, I certainly can,_ Hiko thought. "Go to sleep. I'm going outside."

"Okay…" Kenshin curled up under his sheets and closed his eyes.

-

The dream didn't come back, and when he woke up, he was bothered that it didn't. He'd only been asleep an hour and a half, but he was already starting to feel better. His mouth was dry, so he decided to get some water.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs and passed the window into the backyard, he forgot about it completely, backing up to look out again.

That was Hiko… with that sword of his… and… he was training… That swordsman style. It was Hiten Mitsurugi. Hiko did it loads better than him too. Something about it was admiral, that speed, that skill, that beauty in the technique. He'd seen it done by him before, in his dreams and visions, but he'd never seen them in real life before. A great power swept over him, and a sense of respect for this older, stronger man dug its way into his heart. This was not just a man. This was Hiko Seijirou. This was the successor to Hiten Mitsurugi. This was true strength, true ability.

-

Hiko stepped inside and looked down on the floor where Kenshin had fallen asleep. "Idiot," He said, picking him up. "What were you so interested in? I just saw it in my head…"

"Shi…shou…" He whispered in his sleep.

For some reason, Hiko couldn't stop the smile from breaking out on his face. Somehow, he now liked being called that, as if it was right. Then again, being called 'master' had to feel pretty good anyway.

"You're an annoying little twerp… but for some reason, I like you more and more," He said, laying him down and covering him up. He checked his fever. It was gone. "Look at you, Mr. Perfect. You're making me act like some sort of father, or something. You little jerk, making me worry about you all the time. I hate you, kid." Hiko's smile somehow grew. "When did I ever say I wanted to change who I was?… or back into what I once was or whatever? What am I trying to say, anyways? Stupid brat. Making me all confused."

He left the room and shut the door quietly.

Kenshin opened one eye, closed it, then smiled.. "Shishou, I've never had the chance to thank you for everything. I hope that one day… I can show you… what I've learned from you…"

Hiko fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. "Shinta… is much too weak a name for a swordsman. From now on… you will be…"

_"Kenshin."_

_"Ken… shin…"_

(A/N: Bleh. This chapter is way too short, I know, but I'm still in a bit of a slump of writing anything. I've been busy with school and stuff, since I've been having a little trouble in math. Plus, I haven't even had time to brainstorm, I've been so swamped. Well, I guess it's more for quality than quantity -or at least that's what I'm hoping you feel. I really wanted to put a bit of Hiko and Kenshin together without so much comedy as mushy, father-son stuff. I recently watched Trust and Betrayal again -in Japanese!- so I guess that's why I wrote that little relationship. Next chapter will be great. THE DANCE SAGA is coming up! WOOOOOOOO! -ahem- Thanks for reading.)


	30. Sano's Glory, Soujirou's Plans

Chapter 30: Sano's Glory, Soujirou's Plans

Kenshin stared blankly at the problems on the board in his Math class.

"What's up?" Sano whispered to him.

"I have no idea what to do…" Kenshin mumbled hopelessly.

Saitou sat at his desk, puffing on a cigarette. "Any day now, people. I've got better things to do then see you all cracking under pressure."

"I'm hardly ever here. How am I supposed to know this stuff?" Kenshin whimpered.

"At least you have an excuse… I've just gotten used to tuning him out," Sano replied blandly.

"Oro… Oroorooroorooro…" Kenshin cried, his eyes becoming swirls. "I can't fail…"

"Shut up," Saitou said. "I'm trying to pretend I'm on a beach somewhere far away from here."

"-but life's a beach, Saitou-san!" Sano laughed.

"Yeah, and so is your girlfriend," Saitou responded dryly.

"Ouch…" Sano replied. "I think that one stung a bit, Saitou-san."

"I wasn't insulting. I was just stating a fact."

"Yeah? Well, I got you there, 'cause I don't have a girlfriend!"

"Ha ha, he admits he's a loser," Saitou said flatly.

"He got you," Kenshin whispered.

"I KNOW, I know…" Sano mumbled. "Damn Saitou."

"I heard that."

"ARGH!"

"oro…" Kenshin muttered, guessing his way through a few more answers.

-

"I knew I wouldn't do well, but this is terrible…" Kenshin scratched his head. "Is it allowed to give negative scores in test grades?"

"He just burned a hole in mine," Sano said, sticking his finger through the cigarette burn.

"Kenshin!"

Kenshin's cheeks turned red.

Kaoru approached gleefully, a smile on her face. "How'd you do?"

"Ah…" Kenshin crumpled the paper behind his back. "Not… too bad…"

"Liar!" Sano coughed.

Kenshin stepped on his foot.

Sano went quiet.

Kaoru smiled at Kenshin, then blushed a bit. "So, uh… tomorrow's uh…"

Yeah…" Kenshin replied shyly. "The… the dance…"

"WHAT!" Sano yelped. "IT'S TOMORROW!"

"Oro."

The two of them stared at him blankly.

"I DON'T HAVE A DATE!" He zoomed off down the hall. "I GOTTA FIND ONE OR I'LL LOOK LIKE A TOTAL LOSER!"

"I wonder if he realizes it won't matter?" Saitou asked, walking out the classroom.

The two looked at him just as emptily as they did at Sano. Saitou puffed on his cigarette. They walked away.

As soon as they were out of sight in the hall, Chou stepped around the corner, looking rather distraught.

"What's your problem?" Saitou asked blandly.

"Soujirou hasn't come back for days. We think he might be dead."

"Oh, well," Saitou said, shrugging.

-

Kamatari sighed in exasperation, sitting in the bathroom sing while twirling his hair with his finger. "Anji-kun!"

"Leave me alone please…" He moaned irritably. "I'm trying to go here."

"I was just wondering if you had ANY idea where Soujirou-kun could possibly be."

"I've already told you… SEVERAL TIMES… NO."

"-but Chou-kun told me that Soujirou-kun told him that Soujirou had a plan to sabotage Battousai-kun during the school dance which is tomorrow. By the way, will you go with me?"

"No."

"Whatever. I'll just force Chou-kun into coming with me. So, what do you think Soujirou's plan was before he dropped off the planet without so much as a goodbye?"

"I've got a good idea…" Anji said seriously. "Now, LEAVE."

"Okay, okay, don't overreact or anything."

Kamatari exited the bathroom and pranced down the hall and around the corner. "OOF!" He yelped, colliding right into someone. "Whoops!"

"Get… out of… my way…"

"YEEK!" Kamatari yelped. Aoshi looked incredibly threatening and scary -more than usual- today. "How's it going, Aoshi--"

"Any plan you might have to disrupt tomorrow's school dance, you'd better call off now… or I'll make sure you will."

"-but… _I _don't have any plans," Kamatari exclaimed. Well, it was the truth. _He_ wasn't planning anything, even though there was something already planned. "You gotta date, Aoshi? I'd be really happy to-"

"I'm fine. Thanks," He replied, sounding all but thankful. He shoved past him and strode away.

"I just want to know one thing, Aoshi!"

He paused but did not turn around. "What," He stated.

"Did you do something to Soujirou at Kanryuu's place? I know you were there, and that was the last we had heard of him."

Repeating what he'd said to Kenshin, he responded, "I didn't kill him if that's what you're wondering."

Kamatari narrowed his eyes at him. "You better not have hurt him. Soujirou is our backbone."

"Shame," Aoshi shrugged, continuing on his way.

Kamatari clenched his fists and growled. What had he done to Soujirou? Where was Soujirou? What was he going to do to them?… and worst of all, what would Shishio-sama say?

-

"YAHIKO!" Sano yelled, grabbing the child and pulling him away from his lunch.

"WHAT?" He complained, angry to be interrupted from his lunch with his crush, Tsubame. It was totally uncalled for, he thought.

"I NEED A DATE!"

"Well, I'm certainly not going with you. Why don't you ask Saitou? Maybe he'll-" Yahiko spoke dryly until Sano started shaking him.

"NOW-IS-NOT-THE-TIME-FOR-THIS-BRAT!" He shouted. "I need your help.

Yahiko stared at him in a daze for a moment while he recovered from his dizzy spell then proceeded to kicking him in the stomach. "What makes you think I can help you? Ask Kenshin. He's way more lucky with the ladies than I am."

"Well, Kenshin's all distracted and stuff, and with all the stuff that's been happening to him, I thought it'd be better if I left him alone for awhile. Give him some air. Let him spend time with Kaoru, you know?" Sano explained, putting Yahiko back on his feet.

"And I'm your only other resort? I thought you were a jock. Girls should be crawling all over you," Yahiko shook his head in shame.

"Yeah… well… ever since I got beat by Kenshin, all my fan girls have pretty much switched sides. Kenshin's the most popular guy in school."

"Yeah, but you have the line that you are the most popular guy's best friend. Girls will want to be near you to be near him if you catch my drift."

"-but I don't want to date anyone who only wants to hook up with my friend. I'll end up bored to death all night."

"Then I guess you'll just go alone," Yahiko shrugged.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Sano sobbed.

"Dude, you'll get a date. You have to. Even _I _have a date. It should be easy as pie for you."

"…but I failed cooking class…"

"Idiot. You're lowering my IQ just by standing here talking to me, man. Just look around. I don't know what to do for you."

Sano looked around frantically, then sighed. "When did I suddenly become the biggest loser on campus?… When… did I lose all my glory…?"

Kenshin walked out of the school next to Kaoru, both of them carrying their lunches, and he paused to see Sano, looking rather slumped and solemn.

"Did I do something… to upset him?" He asked.

"What?" Kaoru asked, waving to Misao.

"Nothing… It's nothing…"


	31. One

Chapter 31: One

The night had come, and Kenshin was perfectly calm…

"ORO! ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO, ORO!" Kenshin said frantically as he zoomed around the upstairs, trying to find everything while checking to make sure his tuxedo was right by adjusting his tie at least eleven times.

"SHADDUP!" Hiko shouted irritably.

Kenshin paused on the steps to look at his teacher over on the couch. "Oro?"

"Calm the hell down. You're giving me a headache."

"I… I'm sorry! I'm just… so nervous! I've never been on a date before!" He wringed his fingers in his hair and moaned.

Hiko rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it. Just follow everyone else's lead, and you'll be fine."

"Recently my life hasn't been following everyone else's, you fail to see…" Kenshin mentioned blandly.

Hiko shook his head. "Just chill out. I'm stuck having to chaperon the damn thing, so I'll let you know when you're screwing up."

"Really?"

"Of course! Unless I forget."

"Oro…"

Hiko had all but dressed up for the event. Kenshin looked rather nice but compared to Hiko, he looked like first class on the Titanic.

Kenshin straightened his tie again, then pulled his hair tie a bit tighter as it was aggravating him so.

"Are we leaving?" Hiko asked tiredly as he headed to the door. He obviously preferred to stay home.

"Let's go to Kaoru's house," Kenshin sighed, still feeling his heart sinking like the mentioned Titanic. His thoughts rested on her laughing at him.

-

Kenshin knocked on Kaoru's door and waited, silent…

The door opened, and Kaoru stepped out, raven hair cascading down her back. She wore a blue-violet gown that hung to her ankles, high-heeled shoes, and an indigo ribbon tied in her hair. "Kenshin…" She whispered, amazed at how he had cleaned up. He was such a handsome boy, but looked a bit ridiculous in a tuxedo.

"Oro… um… hello…" He greeted nervously. "Shall we… um… go?"

"Yes," She smiled, making him blush. He took her hand and led her to the car.

"You look nice," Hiko told her as Kenshin opened the door to let her in.

"Thank you," She said. "You look the same."

"Thank you," He replied, grinning.

Kenshin shook his head and got in too. He had a bad feeling, and he figured it was just his stomach churning out of nervousness… but then again…

-

"Are you ready?" Kaoru asked excitedly as the car pulled up to the party. Kenshin gulped.

"Y… Yes…"

She was helped out of the car by Hiko since he had been the first to get out.

"Let's get in, get out, and get it over with," Hiko told them as if it was just a bothersome event that meant nothing to anyone.

"Oro," Kenshin said, closing his door.

They entered the gym for the party.

-

"Oro…" Kenshin said, watching his peers all dancing rather badly to songs he didn't know.

Kaoru smiled at him. "What's the matter, you nervous?" She asked.

"Well, not exactly…" Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck. Truly he was nervous, but it wasn't really about looking like an idiot in front of his peers. He felt as if he did that more often than not… but there was this horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn't seem to ignore… It wouldn't go away, and he had been tormented by it for more than just this day. In fact, he hardly slept the night before because his dreams were filled with swordfights and that red-headed samurai that looked awfully similar to him…

"Kenshin?"

"Oro?"

"I asked if you wanted some punch…" Kaoru said.

"Oh… um… no thanks… do you… want to dance?"

Kaoru's smile brightened. "Sure! But I'll warn you… I'm not very good…"

"Neither am I," Kenshin smiled. "I figure we can wing our way through at least one song though, right?"

"Yeah," She nodded.

-

After struggling through a few songs and getting his feet stepped on for the umpteenth time, Kenshin decided that was enough dancing and went to get something to drink for he and his date. "What a disaster," He mumbled to himself as he poured to glasses. "It'll be a miracle if Kaoru will like me after this…"

He noticed Sanosuke walk through the door with Megumi on his arm.

"Oro?" Kenshin mumbled, stunned.

"I told you we were late," Megumi grumbled at him.

Sano scratched his head and laughed. "My watch is broken!" He had merely put a coat on over his t-shirt and pants… So lacking in style as usual… Megumi on the other hand was in a red China-style dress and looking quite lovely, if not a big angry with her date.

Kenshin shook his head and smiled. He'd figured as much.

He'd already spotted Yahiko around somewhere with Tsubame, but he'd long since lost sight of him.

Kenshin went back to pouring the punch when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Having fun yet?" A familiar alto voice whispered in his ear.

"Soujirou?" Kenshin gasped, turning… no one…

"Enjoying yourself?" Hiko approached behind him, grumbling. "I'm not."

"I just…" A twinge of pain entered his forehead. "I'm not feeling too well…"

"Then get away from me. I'm not going to get sick."

"Um… will you take that…" He grabbed his forehead. It was hurting worse and worse by the second. "Take that punch to Kaoru-dono? I… need to… go to the bathroom…"

Hiko stared at the red-head as he stumbled a bit across the dance floor and into the nearby bathroom, then shrugged, picking up the punch. "What's up with you, kid?"

-

As soon as Kenshin reached the bathroom, he locked the door behind him, then fell to the floor, gasping as sweat dripped off his person. There was this loud ringing in his ears, and the sounds of swords clashing echoed around him. Kenshin shouted out, unable to get off the floor. "What is this? I can't!" Death… destruction… heartbreak… repentance…

Kenshin collapsed to the floor completely, eyes shut tight.

Silence.

"Get up… they need you."

"O…oro?" Kenshin opened his eyes. White… and nobody. "Who's there?"

"Sessha."

"Who's… sessha?" Kenshin asked.

"You are."

"That doesn't make any sense…"

"They need you to save them… use the sword to protect."

"Your voice… that's my voice…"

"Exactly!"

"You're… not me though… you're the other me!… from the past… Himura Kenshin… Battousai… the rurouni…"

"Yes…"

"Oro… how confusing…"

Kenshin suddenly stood on a battlefield, sakabatou in hand. "Now," The other Kenshin said, "You must protect your loved ones with every bit of heart you have."

"They need me now," Kenshin said, feeling the hands of the other Kenshin on his shoulders. He couldn't see the other Kenshin, but there was a strange sense of comfort in him being there.

"Yes… now wake up and save them…"

"Save them… from what?"

"We don't have to be separate any longer. Sessha will be one with you now, so we can save them together. You are only Sessha's new form, but it's time you remembered what you stood for before… completely…"

Kenshin gasped, eyes flying open. He was on the floor of the bathroom, weak and sweaty… His joints ached.

Kenshin stumbled to his feet and walked to the mirror to wash his face. "Oro?" He asked, staring at his reflection as he removed his jacket. His face was bloody again, in that same cross-shaped scar. He sighed, frustrated with it happening again and began to wash it off… He paused. "Oro!" Where the blood had been wiped away, a scar remained, one permanently imbedded into his skin. "This… can't be… How incredibly…"

_We don't have to be separate any longer. Sessha will be one with you now, so we can save them together. You are only Sessha's new form, but it's time you remembered what you stood for before… completely._

It was as if something within him clicked, and everything… made sense…

Screams of fear and peril came from the other room. Kenshin turned his head. "Sessha has to protect them now… with every bit of heart Sessha has."

The door flew open, and Kenshin exited before Sanosuke and Yahiko who had apparently headed off to find him.

"Kenshin!" They both exclaimed.

"Where the hell have you been! Don't you know what's happening?"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

A tall man… had Kaoru by the throat… Kenshin remembered him from a fight he'd had a long time ago.

"Put her down, Jin'e," Kenshin said sternly, catching the man's attention.

"So, Battousai lives again too…" Jin'e grinned maliciously.

"The Juppon Katana hired you to stop Sessha, did they not? Then you will fight Sessha and attempt to stop Sessha without harming these innocent people."

"Sessha?" Sano and Yahiko asked each other.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru exclaimed in relief, then kicked Jin'e in the stomach.

Jin'e released her, and she crumpled the floor.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin exclaimed, running in front of her to protect her. His speed and grace were magnified to a much higher extent than before.

"Does… Kenshin seem different to you?" Yahiko asked.

"Not really…" Sano shrugged.

"That mark on his face!" Megumi exclaimed.

"Eh?" They both looked at her. "What mark?"

She smacked her forehead in embarrassment. They must have lacked the ability to pay attention to detail.

"The rurouni Kenshin's returned," Soujirou mumbled from his spot in the corner, his endless smile still playing on his lips. "How exciting."

(A/N: I'm not even gonna say it... I've said it for the past how many chapters. Yes... it took a long time, and I'm sorry. Yes, I did say it... I suppose you're all just rolling over in shock that I haven't abandoned this story. I like this story, really. It just gives me hell when I write it... ; Well, I tried to make it a little longer this time to make up for all the time that I missed out on... and I'll attempt to update again before fall break is over. Anyone who's still reading, thanks for sticking to my horrible schedule. I know how it is to wait forever for an update, and I know how nerve-wracking it is, so I'll try to stop going on hiatus for months at a time, but don't count on it...)


	32. Repetition

Chapter 32: Repetition

"You haven't changed a bit, Jin'e…" Kenshin said, standing at ease but with confidence. "You're even in the same clothing."

Jin'e swung his sword out. "Battousai. You didn't bring your weapon."

"Sessha wasn't planning on battle this evening, to be honest," Kenshin replied.

Kaoru looked up at him from her spot on the floor. _Kenshin… something's different… but the same… it's just…_ A twinge of pain hit her in the forehead. "Ow!" She cried, shutting her eyes.

_"Kaoru-dono!"_ Kenshin's voice called, and in her head she envisioned him smiling at her, dressed as a samurai, with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek…

"Jin'e… leave this place in peace, if you will. Sessha has no desire to fight you, but Sessha will if it becomes necessary, he will," Kenshin explained calmly. "Sessha happens to still have his weapon in the car."

"Then, let's see you use it, Battousai," A voice came from the doorway.

The room turned in the direction to catch sight of a burning cigarette, then the owner of such cigarette holding the sakabatou in his hands.

"So good of you to bless us with your presence, Saitou," Kenshin said.

Saitou tossed the sword to Kenshin who caught it effortlessly. "Watching you fight now should be a thrill. You're not held back by that present-day exterior."

"Sessha is sessha, no matter what time period, Saitou," Kenshin replied. "Sessha is not here to humor you either."

Saitou crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. His wolfish, golden eyes danced like the revolution's flames, bright and just as yearning for blood. "We shall see who's humored, Battousai…"

"If we are going to fight, let us take it outside," Kenshin told Jin'e.

Jin'e reached down and grabbed Kaoru by the hair, making her yelp, and he chuckled ever-so maliciously that Kenshin's eyes glazed over with rage.

"Is this your date, Battousai?" Jin'e asked, smirking. "She looks familiar… Ah, yes… I remember. She was the one I captured before. Well, I'm not one who likes change…"

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin shouted, gritting his teeth. "Let her go, Jin'e. This doesn't concern her."

"Oh, but it does…" Jin'e replied. "Doesn't it, girl. You remember."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" She cried. "I…" The indigo ribbon fell from her ponytail and fluttered to the floor. She looked to it for only long enough for Jin'e to throw her across the room.

Kenshin's sword was drawn instantly, and he slashed at Jin'e while letting out a shout. Jin'e unfortunately had dodged the attack.

"That's what I like to see from you," Jin'e grinned. "Pure rage, pure hatred."

Kaoru pulled herself up off the floor. "Ken… shin…"

Jin'e smirked. "I wonder if this incarnation is as determined as the last, or if this pampered existence has softened her. Let's liven things up and find out." He turned towards Kaoru and looked into her eyes.

"Eh?" She gasped as air stopped coming into her throat.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin shouted, horrified.

"Just like before… eh, Battousai?" Jin'e laughed deep in his throat.

Kenshin was trembling with anger as he turned. "You bastard…"

Kaoru clawed at her throat, trying in desperation to breathe. Her whole body felt like it was freezing up.

Jin'e drew his own weapon. "Now, let's finish what we started. You have five minutes."

"I remember," Kenshin growled.

Jin'e stabbed his blade into the ribbon and lifted it up off the floor. "And this is your blood, right? From when I did THIS!" The blade went into Kenshin's shoulder. He'd been caught completely off guard.

Blood sprayed out from the wound, coating the ribbon and Jin'e with it.

"KENSHIN!" Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi all yelled at the same time.

"Doesn't seem as if this original version of Battousai is used to this body," Saitou mumbled, puffing on his cigarette.

"Come on, Battousai. Do a little better than that," Jin'e pulled the blade out and slashed Kenshin across the front, sending him sliding backwards a few feet.

Kenshin huffed, sweat trickling down the side of his face as blood seeped out of his wounds. _Sessha needs to concentrate…Stop being distracted by Kaoru's fate, or Kaoru's fate will be an all but good one…_

Kenshin took off running at Jin'e and performed a perfect, graceful technique that ended up landing his reverse-bladed weapon into Jin'e with such force that the cut across his chest did not start to spew blood until Kenshin landed on his feet after the attack.

"I will no longer leave myself open to you," Kenshin said darkly, "So I suggest that you don't either." He turned on him, his eyes filled with the malice that he only got when he was transcending into Battousai.

Kenshin moved so quickly that nobody saw him until he'd sliced at Jin'e once more, though Jin'e had placed his sword in front of him, blocking the move. The loud pang of swords colliding echoed through the gym.

"Release Kaoru from your spell," Kenshin growled viciously.

"Why would I do that?" Jin'e mocked.

"Because," Kenshin jumped back from the attack and lifted his head. "I won't kill you if you do." His eyes shined gold.

"Why does this always happen?" Hiko grumbled to the ceiling. "AGH!" A sharp pain entered his head. Behind his eyelids he could see parts of his past life, playing out like a movie. Shinta… Hiten Mitsurugi…

Hiko fell onto his knees, his hand blindly swiping glasses of punch to the floor.

"Hey!" Sano exclaimed, going towards him. "AH! What the hell?!" He shouted as pain shot through his forehead, knocking him to the floor.

And after mere moments, they were all falling, seeing vividly clear visions of their past.

"Very interesting indeed," Soujirou said.

The sound of clashing blades played in the smiling boy's ears. He turned to watch Battousai battling with Jin'e with the most valor he'd ever used in this form.

Kenshin's sword smashed into Jin'e's nose. He floated across the room and landed on his feet, then turned with glowing eyes towards Jin'e. "You shall die where you stand should you mess with Kaoru-dono any longer."

Soujirou's eyes glittered with excitement. "Himura-san…" He was incredibly pale, and his smile didn't seem quite as bright as it used to be. "Just don't go too far…"

"I wonder if I should stop him," Saitou mumbled idly, lighting a cigarette.

"You should," Aoshi growled. Aoshi too would have, had he had a weapon available. Misao had made him leave it at home. Sometimes she was a foolish girl.

Kenshin flipped the blade on his weapon. "Jin'e!!"

Kaoru opened her eyes from her spot on the floor. She was too weak to move, the voice of her former self still playing in her ears. "I… understand…now…" She whispered as consciousness slowly began to recover.

"It all makes sense…" Sano mumbled, getting to his knees.

"I think I get it…" Yahiko moaned, rubbing his forehead.

"But of course…" Megumi gasped.

"Kenshin!" Hiko shouted, eyes flying open.

Kenshin charged Jin'e and slashed at him several times, leaving several bloody wounds about his body.

"That's right, Battousai! Hate me!" Jin'e yelled in psychotic glee. "Destroy me! You know that you want to!"

Kenshin shouted in rage, shattering Jin'e's arm, using his sheath, just like back then. Jin'e grinned at the sight of his peril, despite the pain. It was as if he was enjoying each painful experience, and he was. After all, he was succeeding in his job.

"DIE, JIN'E!" Kenshin yelled, eyes gleaming with malice. He'd lost all control of himself by this point.

"Kenshin!" Sano, Megumi, Yahiko, Hiko, and Kaoru all shouted at the same time.

"I have to stop him," Aoshi growled, taking off towards him just before Kenshin's blade was to land in Jin'e's shoulder.

A clash of blades silenced everyone and left them all staring.

Aoshi even paused mid-step.

"Himura-san…" Soujirou said, holding his block. "You can't do this…"

"Soujirou…" Aoshi whispered, completely lost.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru shouted, taking off and throwing her arms around him.

Kenshin dropped his blade as he slowly came to. "…Kaoru…" He whispered. She was crying… crying for what he'd almost done… He trembled in fear, then held her tight. "Kaoru, I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" He said shamefully.

"Kenshin… I remember everything now… I understand now…"

Soujirou laughed bitterly as his sword shattered. Aoshi's eyes narrowed as his memory brought him to Kanryuu's mansion. _Soujirou…_

"History really does repeat itself," He said, hanging his head. "I understand now too…"


End file.
